Business School £20 million expansion

Warwick Business School has declared their plans for a £20 million expansion of their facilities. Starting this summer the extension will significantly change not only WBS itself but also affect the look of Warwick campus.

The constructions should be completed by Christmas 2010 and promise to offer “some of the best facilities in Europe.” This includes new function rooms such as lecture theatres, seminar rooms and offices. Another addition will be a cafeteria for staff and students and more social areas and amenities.

Perhaps one of the most interesting features will be two lecture theatres which will reportedly be “suspended in a structural bubble located between two arms of the four storey main building” in the central atria. No images from the project plan have yet been released.

WBS is one of the largest and most highly rated business schools in Europe and is already worth over £37.5 million. The Dean of WBS, Professor Howard Thomas, said that while this expansion means a “ significant financial investment,” it is “a demonstration of our confidence in the future.”

Some students worried that the development may affect their studies and cause inconvenience.

Gina-Lisa Schilli, a Management student, said, “the concern for undergraduates will be whether we will be allowed to access it.” Scarman Road, for example, is part of the Business School and houses a number of facilities but is generally off-limits for undergraduates.

“If undergraduates will be able to access it I think it will be great because it will give WBS students a bit of their own space, as we don’t really have everything in one place but are a bit scattered around.”

The Project Manager for the University of Warwick Estates, Peter Harris, said the “masterplan has been designed as a flexible framework allowing for phased expansion” which will allow the University to “continue to respond to the changing needs of our students.”

The University has a long term “masterplan” which stretches over ten years and could see Warwick expanding by around 4,500 students and members of staff.

He added that this next phase will “see us further cementing our position as one of the most respected higher education institutions in the UK.”

The Business School’s location at the centre of campus means that these changes will have a significant effect on the campus’s look, as well as the University’s prestige.