Ceremony held at University’s new home for engineering and design excellence

The transformed Babbage Building will provide a state-of-the-art space to inspire creativity, innovation and collaboration
The transformed Babbage Building will provide a state-of-the-art space to inspire creativity, innovation and collaboration
The University of Plymouth’s ambition of creating a space that will inspire and educate future generations of engineers and designers has reached a significant milestone.
Work has been ongoing for several months to transform the Babbage Building into a state-of-the-art engineering and design building.
Once complete, it will provide an innovative and sustainable new home for the School of Engineering, Computing and Mathematics and additional space for the School of Art, Design and Architecture.
Designed by internationally award-winning architectural practice Feilden Clegg Bradley Studios, and project managed by AECOM, the building is being transformed and expanded by BAM Construct UK.
A topping out ceremony, attended by representatives from the University and project team, has now been held on site as the project continues to progress.
Professor Dame Judith Petts DBE , Vice-Chancellor of the University of Plymouth, said:
“Engineers and designers are a critical element of our efforts to address the planet’s most pressing challenges. They are the innovators behind some of our most impressive achievements, in fields as diverse as offshore renewable energy and digital fabrication. This new building will provide our staff, students and industry partners with the latest technological advances to inspire their creativity and ingenuity now and in the future.”
The transformed Babbage Building will provide a state-of-the-art space to inspire creativity, innovation and collaboration
Graham Kingdon, Construction Director for BAM Construction, said:
“Engineers are a critical part of Britain’s industrial heritage and its future. As a company that recruits and employs many of our own engineering specialists, this building holds particular meaning for us. Many of those who study here will learn about structures and design that create the future built environment. We’ve also got happy memories of building here in Plymouth and for the University itself, so it is a double pleasure for us to work with them again, creating a highly sustainable building fit for the world we all want to live in.”
The transformed Babbage Building – being delivered by the University’s Estates and Facilities Directorate – will provide a state-of-the-art space to inspire creativity, innovation and collaboration from our engineering and design pioneers of tomorrow.
It will embody the University’s systems thinking approach by bringing STEAM – science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics – subjects together to support academic collaboration and innovation.
The building will house specialist equipment and laboratories dedicated to clean energy, autonomous systems, virtual engineering, precision manufacturing, digital fabrication, high performance computing and much more.
It will also incorporate low carbon technologies, supporting the aims of all the partners to achieve net zero carbon emissions and promote world-leading sustainability practices.
The transformed Babbage Building will provide a state-of-the-art space to inspire creativity, innovation and collaboration from our engineering and design pioneers of tomorrow
The transformed Babbage Building will provide a state-of-the-art space to inspire creativity, innovation and collaboration from our engineering and design pioneers of tomorrow

School of Engineering, Computing and Mathematics

Our team of 100 staff work in the disciplines of engineering, computing, mathematics and navigation. We carry out research in fields from renewable energy to pure mathematics, robotics and cyber security.
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