The Wolverhampton City Learning Quarter is a flagship £61 million regeneration project at the heart of the city, designed to transform education and skills provision across the region.
A new purpose-built four-storey campus, the development brings together City of Wolverhampton College, Adult Education Wolverhampton, and the Central Library into a single, state-of-the-art learning hub. Located around Old Hall Street and St George’s Parade, the scheme replaces the college’s outdated Paget Road site and offers modern facilities and industry-standard training spaces. This ambitious project is expected to support over 52,000 learners and apprenticeships over the next decade.
The project presented a unique facade engineering challenge: extending an existing building with two new wings on either side, resulting in an unconventional structure featuring a curved elevation. The design intent included a continuous feature band across the first, second, and third floors, creating a striking ribbon effect that visually compartmentalised the building. However, the complexity of the geometry, including curved façades and misaligned window configurations, introduced significant technical hurdles.
Additional challenges included integrating varying drainage and sealing details, ensuring compliance with modern fire and security standards, and managing late-stage design changes such as the addition of signage after cladding was complete.
Our in-house design team adopted a consultancy-led approach, working closely with the architect Holmes Miller, main contractor McLaughlin & Harvey, and Wolverhampton City Council. The team re-engineered the design intent to use conventional manufacturing methods, delivering a solution that maintained the aesthetic vision while staying within budget and adhering to lead times. For the curved façade, a design change incorporating curved coping and 50mm deep cladding panels was proposed to achieve the desired visual effect while reducing complexity and expense.
The engineered façade package featured high-quality products, including aluminium rainscreen systems and feature bands at floor levels supported by helping hand brackets fixed back to SFS framing, curtain walling and aluminium soffits. We also ensured compliance and security by installing PAS24-tested doors, achieving FIRAS accreditation, and implementing passive fire protection measures.
Alterations to the existing building included modifications to existing curtainwall and integration of louver systems and opening windows.
Collaborative facade engineering and risk management eliminated outdated materials and future-proofed the building against compliance issues. We worked closely with the architect to resolve structural risks within the original central core of the building, where outdated materials and design details posed compliance challenges.
Although this task was not part of the initial scope of works, we took ownership of the issue and delivered a solution alongside the main façade package. By carrying out a detailed review and proposing alternative methods, we ensured the integrity of the connection between the new wings and the existing structure. We were able to future-proof the development by eliminating materials that no longer met current standards, reducing long-term risk and guaranteeing compliance with modern regulations.
The project was delivered to a high standard while addressing cost, time and compliance challenges. Combining innovation and critical thinking with practical execution, we ensured that complex design concepts were realised efficiently.
Client Feedback:
“I wanted to reach out and personally thank you and your team for the excellent service delivered on this project. The façade package is being executed to a very high standard on what has been a difficult and challenging project, and your team consistently demonstrated professionalism, flexibility, and a solutions-first mindset.”
Newton Lodge