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£41 million university building in Birmingham has taken a major step forward as the finishing touches have been made to the development.

Contractor BAM and local stakeholders were joined by staff and students from Birmingham City University at the institution’s new Health Sciences and Education building to mark the traditional ‘topping out’ ceremony and celebrate a key milestone in the delivery of the facility.

The 10,500m² extension on Westbourne Road in Edgbaston forms part of the University’s City South Campus.

The new development, set to open in 2018, will also enable the relocation of the University’s School of Education, consolidating the Faculty of Health, Education and Life Sciences on to one site.

Designed by architects Sheppard Robson, the building will help reinforce Birmingham City University’s status as the region’s largest provider of qualified health and social care professionals to the NHS and producer of more teachers than any other institution in the West Midlands.

The space will offer teacher training and specialist facilities for health sciences including provision for research, a new lecture theatre, a multi-purpose hall, speech therapy, physiotherapy and ultrasound suites, art and technology classrooms and IT hubs.

Speaking at the topping out ceremony on Thursday 4 May, Professor Graham Upton, Vice-Chancellor of Birmingham City University, said:

“Today marks an exciting new chapter in the University’s long and proud history. Not only will this new building allow us to strengthen our existing education teaching and research programmes, we will also be offering a wide range of new health, nutrition and biomedical science courses.