New Environment Building Granted Planning Permission

Posted on 19 May 2014

The new Environment Building, due to open in January 2016 has entered its final planning stages with the granting of planning permission

new environment building southern elevation

The new building planned to house the Environment Department, the Stockholm Environment Institute York, the York Environmental Sustainability Institute and BioArCh, a research group covering aspects of Biology, Archaeology and Chemistry moves a stage closer to the end of its planning and design stages this month with the granting of planning permission from the City of York Council.

After nine months of sustained activity behind the scenes with all of the partners involved with the construction, the final external aspects of the building have been confirmed, planning permission has been granted and final tenders for the construction phase are out.

After 16 years of rapid expansion in its current location, the Department has outgrown its accommodation and will be embarking on a £12 million expansion to create the new, purpose-built building. This will house state-of-the-art science and physical geography laboratory facilities along with new teaching and innovative social spaces, all designed to enhance teaching, learning and research.

Work on clearing the site, where Wentworth E block once stood on Campus West has started in earnest, with a view to the commencement of construction works in July 2014. The project is on target to be handed over to the University at the beginning of November 2015 ready for the new academic year in October 2015.

Bond Bryan Architects have produced this video flyover of the new building's proposed design.

You can also read the news article appearing in the York Evening Press.

Below are rendered images of the external aspects of the new building as well as view of some of the internal spaces, such as the heart space and a typical research laboratory.