A little while ago, via a cabbie that the University of Greenwich was interested in buying the land in Stockwell Street that had been home to the much loved Village Market, and the rather tired looking John Humphries House.
It turns out that the cab driver was exactly right, proving they really do have the knowledge, and the University of Greenwich has just announced the acquisition of the land in a £60million investment which will see the construction of a new library and a new home for the School of Architecture & Construction.
The University is launching a competitive process to select an architect who will be tasked with creating “an inspiring piece of contemporary architecture”. Preliminary work on the site will include the removal of existing buildings and archaelogical digs.
The University says it is committed to consulting with local residents and businesses, and that the development will be constructed to the latest environmental standards, with a low carbon
footprint.
The site had previously been ear-marked for a mixed use development containing flats, offices and shops.
UPDATED 5th March
The tender notice for this contract has been posted to the European Union’s Tenders Electronic Daily system. The details of the job spec put the estimated construction cost at £41million and aims to have an architect selected by the end of August 09. The Memorandum of Information associated with the project says that the “University wishes to create educational buildings that are inspiring, flexible, adaptable and innovative, whilst at the same time sustainable. They should become a bench mark for the way that education can be delivered and must contribute to the built environment of the Maritime Greenwich World Heritage site“.
Map of the Stockwell Street site
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