New facility seeks to provide collaborative spaces that facilitate outeach to the wider community
BDP has completed a project to renovate and connect two modernist buildings at Coventry University, establishing a new hub for the College of Arts and Society.
The design, led by BDP’s education team, based in Manchester and Birmingham, involves the addition of a contemporary extension that links the Maurice Foss and Graham Sutherland buildings. Renamed as the Delia Derbyshire building, it aims to serve as a central point for creativity on the university campus and enhance the university’s connection with the wider city.
The university plans to use the new building to support the growth of the creative industries in the region and contribute to the cultural development of the city. The design also accommodates the university’s expected increase in student numbers and facilitates greater engagement with local communities and enterprises.
Inside the Delia Derbyshire building, open-plan and flexible learning spaces have been created to encourage innovative teaching methods and cross-disciplinary collaboration across various fields including architecture, design and media. The facility includes lecture theatres, studio and workshop areas, immersive media rooms, and collaborative spaces tailored to accommodate different learning needs.
Sue Emms, principal and head of education at BDP, highlighted the building’s adaptability to diverse user groups and its role as a showcase for the university.
She said: “The Delia Derbyshire building is an exciting mix of didactic, performance, and maker spaces arranged in such a that they can be used in multiple ways by a variety of students, staff and community groups.
“With an increase in students, who also have raised expectations, it was important to create an open, accessible, and artistic shop window for all of the dynamic creativity at the university. It’s also a perfect example of adaptive reuse – transforming unwelcoming brutalist buildings into a sociable community hub for the arts.”
The design features collaborative spaces activated by large seating areas, a café space, and a central zone known as the ‘Hyper Studio’, facilitating ambitious interdisciplinary projects. The building also houses immersive technology studios equipped with digital facilities.
Externally, the façade design references the university’s heritage and the surrounding environment. The use of a natural alloy of copper, aluminium, and zinc is a nod to the site’s former use as a foundry and the university’s origins dating back to 1843.
Svetlana Solomonova, architect director at BDP, expressed pride in contributing to the rejuvenation of the university’s connection with the local community and businesses: “Coventry University is incredibly proud of its history and of its place in the city and we are so honoured to have been able to contribute to the rejuvenation of its connection with local people and local business.
“The new building raises the profile and the capability of the college and the university, creating some of the best learning and social environments in the UK.”
Shaun Hides, academic dean of arts and society at Coventry University, hailed the project as a significant development that elevates the learning experience for students and staff.
“The college cherishes both its history of innovation and our reputation for educating students who achieve amazing things, with some of them going on to win prestigious awards (including Oscars) and secure careers with world-leading companies – but who all contribute to the communities around them”, said Hides.
“This development and investment in our college takes what we can offer our students to a whole new level. Providing students and staff with such fantastic, creative learning spaces and state-of-the-art facilities is a once in a generation opportunity to move things forwards in a big way.”
The building’s name, Delia Derbyshire, pays tribute to the Coventry-born composer known for her pioneering work with the BBC’s Radiophonic Workshop and her iconic Doctor Who theme tune.
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