Construction character ‘Ivor Goodsite’ ready to welcome visitors
A public consultation on the design of the University of Central Lancashire’s (UCLan) new £50 million campus gateway in the heart of the city has officially opened with UCLan representatives ready to note feedback from the local community.
From today until Wednesday this week, 8 – 10 August, larger than life construction character Ivor Goodsite will be on hand in St George’s Shopping Centre to share the designs of seven shortlisted architectural practices. Student ambassadors are stationed in and around the University’s ‘In the City’ shop to obtain feedback that will help inform the decision on how a new civic square and student support centre, part of UCLan’s £200 million Masterplan, could look.
To make the consultation accessible for parents, children are being encouraged to come along to meet Ivor Goodsite, a character designed to teach children about the construction industry, and play in a building blocks play area that has been set up especially for the event.
A University spokesperson commented: “We’re keen to get as many people as possible in the shop to show them the designs and find out exactly what they think. We are completely open to finding out what people do and don’t like and hear their own suggestions for improvements.
“We’ve made the consultation as family-friendly as possible to encourage a wide variety of people to call in. The new civic square will form a key component of our £200 million Masterplan so it’s very important that the people of Preston have their voices heard.”
Combined, the new student support centre and civic square will be the same size as London’s Trafalgar Square and are integral aspects of UCLan’s 10-year Campus Masterplan proposals.
"The new civic square will form a key component of our £200 million Masterplan so it’s very important that the people of Preston have their voices heard."
Earlier this year, the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) ran an international competition which asked architectural practices to submit designs which would deliver an excellent student experience and create a world-class campus with seven designs making the final shortlist.
Members of the community can have their say on the designs at drop in sessions from 10.00am until 3.00pm on August 8-10 at UCLan’s ‘In the City’ shop within St George’s Shopping Centre, close to the Lune Street entrance.
On August 11-12, the proposals will be on display between 10.00am and 3.00pm as UCLan’s Foster Building on Fylde Road.
The designs can also be viewed online where members of the public can share their views using the online form. An image from each of the architects can also be viewed on the UCLan Flickr gallery.
