> Five designs for MK:U’s ‘university quarter’ unveiled online on 4 July
> Milton Keynes Council and Cranfield University invite public feedback on the design
> Full design models will be available to view from 4 to 7 July at the Milton Keynes: A Journey to 2050 Exhibition in Middleton Hall, the centre:mk
> Judging panel will begin deliberations after the exhibition; before expected decision in August this year
> The five shortlisted designs for a proposed new university quarter in Milton Keynes have been unveiled as part of an international design competition.
The competition, run by Malcolm Reading Consultants, for Milton Keynes Council, will now move to the judging stage before the final design for the university’s campus is announced in August.
Milton Keynes Council, the project sponsors of MK:U and Cranfield University, the lead higher education institution for MK:U, are inviting public comments on the five designs to help guide the judging panel in their decision about the new university quarter which will be located in the heart of Milton Keynes. The designs go live online today and the gallery is open to all MK residents to comment.
Models of the five designs will be available for viewing at ‘Milton Keynes: A Journey to 2050 exhibition' being held at Middleton Hall in the centre:mk between Thursday 4 July and Sunday 7 July.
The exhibition tells the story of how Milton Keynes could develop over the next 30 years, at which point it is expected to be larger than the current size of Edinburgh or Cardiff. It will also feature electric cars, bikes and delivery robots, as well as public talks, children’s activities and a look at how A Festival of Creative Urban Living will transform Midsummer Boulevard later in 2019.
The proposed new university, MK:U, will offer innovative and flexible education focused on new technologies and digital skills, including AI, robotics and cyber security. It will also offer undergraduate degrees in business and entrepreneurship, as well as courses in design thinking and professional and commercial skills, when it opens its doors in 2023. The team behind the proposed university are co-designing courses with future-focused business partners including Microsoft and Santander. Santander announced in May that they are backing the project with a £30m investment after the bank recently set out plans for a state-of-the-art technology hub in Milton Keynes, where it will have 5000 staff.
For more information, visit the Cranfield University website: https://www.cranfield.ac.uk/press/news-2019/five-designs-unveiled-in-international-design-competition-for-mk-u-university-quarter
