Completion of York St John University Creative Centre

Kier has successfully handed over the £17.2m Creative Centre project to York St John University at its Lord Mayor’s Walk campus in York City Centre.

The Centre was designed by architects Tate + Co with sustainability and adaptability in mind, to cater for students’ needs, community use and the evolution of the University’s curriculum. The centrepiece of the project is the 200-seat auditorium wrapped in prefabricated timber, a three-storey teaching block and 2,600m² of flexible, specialist teaching space.

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The new 550m² atrium has a glass and timber roof to allow natural daylight to enter the building. It acts as an exhibition space, teaching space and theatre foyer to host lectures, performances and events.

Over the duration of the project, Kier has engaged with the local community as part of its commitment to leaving lasting legacies in the areas in which it works. It has achieved the following on the project:

• Six school / college workshops
• Six work experience placements
• 15 weeks given to existing apprentices
• One new apprentice
• Two people progressed into employment

Dan Doherty, regional director at Kier Regional Building North and Scotland, said: “This is a key project for York St John University, putting creativity at the heart of its campus and creating a new home for its music and computer science courses.

Bringing our expertise in the education sector to the project and working in collaboration with our client and local supply chain, we have created specialist teaching spaces, which will enhance students learning experience for years to come.”

Chief Operating Officer of York St John University Rob Hickey said: “What we set out to achieve was a striking and sustainable building to inspire learning at the heart of our Lord Mayor’s Walk campus, and I would like to thank our partners Kier and Tate + Co for delivering just that. Our new Creative Centre demonstrates our commitment to our students, the wider community and the creative industries in the region. We look forward to welcoming the public to experience the amazing space for themselves at our week of official launch events in the New Year.”

The Centre will be officially launched at the end of January 2022 with a week-long public programme of arts and performance events. Full details about the launch here.