PMJ Masonry are proud to announce that we have secured the complete handset natural stone package for the new £80 million Creative Arts Building at Leeds Beckett University. This project will be the first undertaken by PMJ Masonry with George Downing Construction. The iconic building has been designed by architects Hawkins/Brown.

The state-of-the-art facility will be home to the university’s School of Film, Music and Performing Arts, plus the fashion department. It will be filled with specialist facilities including a performance theatre and 220-seat Dolby Atmos movie cinema, as well as specialist studios for fashion, music, film and television.

Not only will the new Creative Arts Centre provide state-of-the-art facilities, but it will also allow the University to improve their student experience and diversity recruitment, whilst enhancing transferable skills and employability of their students.

The new building, located at the edge of the Civic Quarter of Leeds, occupies a prominent site 10 minutes’ walk from the main cultural and retail amenities of the city centre. It is bordered by Downing Construction’s Central Campus Development to the North and Leeds General Infirmary to the West. The site is clearly visible from Millennium Square and is directly opposite the listed Civic Hall – a historic setting which informed the building’s design.

Professor Peter Slee, Vice Chancellor at Leeds Beckett University stated:

“Leeds Beckett plays a vital role in the health of the city and region, generating jobs and prosperity. The Creative Arts building will provide a new city marker, elevating the visibility of the university at this important city location and providing a resource that we believe will contribute to the creative economy in Leeds. This outstanding new building will provide a creative focus for the School’s undergraduate, postgraduate, doctoral and research and enterprise programmes and act as a hub for our cultural and industry partnerships across the city.”

If you look at the façades, this installation will provide a challenging test of design to create the client’s requirements, a test that both PMJ Masonry’s technical team and Downing’s Design team are up for.

Watch this space for future updates!