Topping out ceremony held at Alliance Manchester Business School

Luminaries and leadership figures from Alliance Manchester Business School, Bruntwood, Mace and partners gathered on site at the hugely improved campus last night to celebrate a significant step forward in its redevelopment.

Lord Alliance, whose landmark donation to the School is one of the largest ever made to a UK business school, attended the topping out ceremony for the new campus development at the Booth Street West site. Significant business school donors and advisory board members were also in attendance along with senior figures from property developer Bruntwood and site contractor Mace.

The completion of a flagship feature staircase at the Booth Street West building is the latest milestone for the Alliance MBS redevelopment. It comes just a week after the announcement of a £9.7million grant from the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) towards the project. The grant makes Alliance MBS the first business school to benefit from HEFCE’s UK Research Partnership Investment Fund, which supports the contribution of research to the economy.

In total, more than £33million has now been raised to support the redevelopment, including the HEFCE funding and private investment.

The redevelopment project is part of the University of Manchester’s ten-year Campus Masterplan, which includes a new hotel, an enhanced Executive Education Centre, and an improved retail and food offering managed by Bruntwood.

As part of the University of Manchester’s Living Campus initiative, which maintains the best possible environmental standards for the University’s growing structural footprint, a ceremonial tree was also planted during Tuesday’s celebrations.

Professor Fiona Devine, Head at Alliance Manchester Business School, said:

“This is another significant step forward in Alliance Manchester Business School’s redevelopment, which ensures that the School remains at the forefront of business and management research and education for years to come. New facilities, such as the creation of a world-class Learning Resource Centre, Enterprise Zone, Data Analytics Visualisation Lab and a Behavioural Economics and Strategic Management Laboratory, all set us up for an incredibly exciting future.”

Chris Roberts, Chief Development Officer for Bruntwood said:

“The improvements being made to Alliance Manchester Business School’s facilities and the surrounding area are nothing short of transformational for Corridor Manchester. Students will benefit from incredible learning space, while the retail and food offering we’re developing with The University of Manchester will also enhance the lives of those living and working nearby, attracting some fantastic operators and providing a real wow factor for visitors to the city.”

Ian Goddard, Mace's Project Director said:

“We’re incredibly proud of the work that we’re completing on site for Bruntwood and the University at Alliance Manchester Business School. The project has many challenges and in recent months progress has been significant. Mace, working with our trade contractors, can see the difference that the project we are building will make to those who will be using it.”