One month to go! University’s countdown to Bay Campus opening

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There’s just one month to go until Swansea University’s new £450m Bay Campus opens, welcoming new first year and returning students for the 2015-2016 academic year.

The Bay Campus, which is being developed by St. Modwen, the UK’s leading regeneration specialist, has been built in just over two years.

The realisation of this transformational development, which has been widely recognised as one of Europe’s leading knowledge economy projects, has seen 7,000 jobs created, and 170 contracts awarded to local business.  

It has also involved one of the largest removal projects in Wales, to relocate the University’s College of Engineering and School of Management from the Singleton Park Campus to the Bay, which offers students, staff and business world-class learning, teaching, and research facilities.  

The University’s new first year students will arrive at the Bay Campus to take up residence from Friday, September 18 and the campus will open formally from Monday, September 21.

Engineering Central street entrance with reflection of Tower Information CePicture:  Engineering Central, with a reflection of the Tower Information Centre

A welcoming and vibrant place

The Bay Campus will be home to almost 5,000 students and 1,000 staff and it will also be a welcoming and vibrant place for visitors, with cafes, bars, and food court style restaurants – and of course not forgetting the Campus offers direct access onto the beach and will have its own seafront promenade.

The Campus’ buildings, which are complemented by careful and sustainable landscaping to provide a positive and lasting attribute to the community and the locality, are enhanced by squares, open spaces and landscaped courts, utilising as many local and a variety of species of trees, plants, and shrubs as possible.

There will be a phased opening of other amenities such as banking, a Tesco Express supermarket, and sports and physical recreation facilities during the autumn, and an additional 545 student accommodation rooms will be available from January 2016.

Invitation to visit

On Saturday, October 10, at the University’s Undergraduate Open Day, the Bay Campus will also open its doors to the local community, local business, family and friends of students and staff, and the general public, to whom the University extends an invitation and warm welcome to visit.

During the Open Day there will be organised tours, presentations, and fun interactive demonstrations. To register your interest in attending, please visit the Campus Development website, or email: campusdevelopment@swansea.ac.uk

Great anticipation and excitement

Professor Richard B Davies, Vice-Chancellor of Swansea University, said:

“It is with great anticipation and excitement we await the imminent opening of our spectacular Bay Campus development, which has been delivered alongside a refurbished and transformed Singleton Park Campus.

Many of our College of Engineering and School of Management staff have already, or are in the process, of relocating to their new home.  But the Bay Campus will really spring to life with the arrival of our new and returning students next month, bringing the realisation of Swansea as a dual campus university.

The Bay Campus is among the most ambitious projects in the UK higher education sector for decades and heralds a new era and a new status for Swansea University, which continues on its strong upward trajectory.

These are indeed exciting times and we hope you will join us on Saturday, October 10, to visit the Bay Campus and to find out how this development will benefit the University, the city, and the wider Swansea Bay region for future generations.”