Brindleyplace is strengthening its ties to the Birmingham community and beyond by partnering with Birmingham City University (BCU).
Brindleyplace and Birmingham City University (BCU) have formed an official partnership to promote the city and everything it has to offer following the huge success of their fashion show collaboration in Oozells Square last summer.
Professor Harris Beider, BCU’s Pro Vice-Chancellor for Engagement, Enterprise and Innovation said:
“The fashion show highlighted the value of working together to raise Birmingham’s profile and provide opportunities for our local businesses and creative industries. As a result, we’ve formalised our partnership because we feel we can do more.”
Now, eager to build on the impact and popularity of that event, and sharing similar core values – community, collaboration and a passion for the city – both are striving to be at the forefront of innovation and education and feel an immense responsibility to create a city-wide culture of total inclusion and far-reaching opportunity.
The primary objectives of the partnership will focus on four main areas:
- Activations and events, which include student fashion shows;
- Educational courses linked to Brindleyplace, focusing on such subjects as urban regeneration and the built environment;
- Occupier engagement to include mentoring and sponsorship opportunities for BCU students;
- And a programme for schools that allows both Brindleyplace and BCU to share its knowledge and expertise with pupils from across the West Midlands.
Matt Long, Senior Asset Manager for Praxis at Brindleyplace, said it made perfect sense to partner with BCU to explore joint opportunities, especially around urban regeneration.
“Brindleyplace has stood the test of time and remains a fine example of mixed-use development, but this year will see the start of several regeneration projects and major investment in our buildings,” he said.
“It is the ideal time for us to cement our relationship with a best-in-class university offering urban regeneration courses locally.”
He added: “Brindleyplace prides itself on offering a variety of placemaking activities for our tenants and public – and we look forward to BCU’s involvement in many of these.”
Professor Beider added:
“Working with Brindleyplace will allow us to not only help shape the city’s future but also enable the University to achieve its goal to power prosperity in the region.
“Our 2030 strategy document, Rooted in Birmingham, Reaching Beyond, sets out our vision to be an exemplar anchor institution as well as our mission to create and share knowledge for a better and more inclusive society.”
BCU Presents: 1000 Threads fashion showcase, held in Oozells Square with both the historic Ikon Gallery and the gleaming glass façade of the award-winning X Brindleyplace prominent throughout will return again in 2025.
