Work has started on a new £9.1 million ‘digital media hub’ building in Nottingham’s Creative Quarter which will deliver creative industry education courses.
The building will become part of Confetti Institute of Creative Technologies and is a six-storey design featuring classrooms, seminar rooms and rooftop garden.
The new hub will connect the existing Confetti college centre on Convent Street and the Higher Education Centre on Parliament Street.
It will be used by Confetti to deliver more courses in both college-level courses and degrees, and is a flagship part of Nottingham Trent University’s new ‘Creative Quarter Campus’.
As well as acting as Confetti’s headquarters and main reception, it will deliver all digital media games and interactive activity.
Work began before Christmas demolishing part of the existing Confetti site on Parliament Street to make way for the new build.
Craig Chettle, chief executive and founder of Confetti Media Group, said: “My belief is that Confetti will be firmly established as one of the best places in the UK to study creative and media courses, and the new hub will bring a boost to the city centre: both economically and aesthetically.
“Our plans for the space are ambitious and as well as training our talented young people, we hope the transformed building will become a landmark for the city”.
The demolition work unearthed some key archaeological findings including medieval artefacts, caves and a 700-year old well that have helped rewrite the history of medieval Nottingham.
The findings have now been documented and preserved, and the land filled in ready for work on the building to start.
The building is expected to be finished next summer.
Nottingham Trent University bought a controlling stake in Confetti Media Group in 2015.
Edward Peck, the university’s Vice Chancellor, said: “I very much view this development as our ‘Creative Quarter Campus’.
“It will expand Confetti’s further and higher education offer, increase the number of course options available to students and will generate positive social and economic benefits, not just for the students fortunate enough to study there, but for creative businesses within Antenna and the Creative Quarter.”
Mr Chettle added: “When I established Confetti over twenty years ago, I always sought to have the very best people and facilities to inspire our students.
“Now, with NTU’s support, that ambition has been taken to a completely new level with these recent developments which further encompass our hopes and visions for the future.”
