Firms vie for £37m Birmingham uni library

Six firms, including Sir Robert McAlpine, Carillion and Bam Construction, are battling it out for the £37m job to build a new library for the University of Birmingham.

Bowmer & Kirkland, Galliford Try and Vinci have also been invited to bid for the job, which is one of the larger regional building jobs on the market. Tenders are to be submitted next month.

The Associated Architects-designed library was granted planning permission last year as part of the university’s wider develpoment of its Edgbaston Campus.

The project involves the demolition of the existing fifties library, while the new building will have a colonnaded front and 13,000m² of floor space over six levels.

Light wells will run throughout the building, which also contains a cafe and exhibition and events space.

The building has been designed to achieve a BREEAM “excellent” rating.