Into Newcastle Centre nears completion

A new city centre UK£74 million (US$115 million) building for international students at Newcastle University is nearing completion.

Section through academic building

The Into Newcastle Centre is set to open in September, when around 800 international students will benefit from facilities including science laboratories, computer labs, a lecture theatre and social areas.

Accommodation will be provided nearby, with 537 brand new, high-quality student bedrooms spread across two buildings. Three styles of room are available: shared studios, single study bedrooms, and single bedroom studios. Social areas include flat screen TVs, iPod docking stations and couches.

Into teamed up with Newcastle University in 2007 and has prepared over 4,000 international students for undergraduate and postgraduate study at the university. Newcastle is one of the UK’s most internationalised campuses, with the current student body spanning 120 countries. A recent study also revealed that Newcastle is one of the largest users of education agents.

Tom Stevenson, Pro-Vice Chancellor for Planning and Resources at Newcastle University, said, “Our successful partnership with Into is something we are very proud of. Soon, we will have a brand-new, purpose-built building of the highest standard which will match the quality of the teaching and learning on offer. Our partnership means we benefit from the addition of students from all over the world on our campus, which makes our university a more vibrant place.”

Kevin Conroy, Director of Into Newcastle, said, “The students who come to study with us at Newcastle really enjoy their time here. What we wanted was to give them a building that was designed to completely meet their needs. The new building does exactly that and will also provide what we consider some of the best student accommodation in the city so they can live and learn on campus in one of the best student cities in the country.”

Construction on the project began in August 2010 and contractor Balfour Beatty has employed more than 2,000 workers in the construction of the facility, which was designed by architects FaulknerBrown.