A Catalyst Lend Lease consortium that includes architects the Archial Group, has been selected as preferred bidder by Birmingham City Council to deliver the Government’s biggest Building Schools for the Future (BSF) initiative to date, it was announced today.

The £2.4 billion programme will see 89 Birmingham secondary and special needs schools either refurbished or redeveloped by 2024, in a scheme led by Birmingham City Council and its local education partnership (LEP) partner, Catalyst Education.

The Archial Group’s Midlands offices and its London-based Alsop practice will jointly deliver the largest of the three sample schemes that form a part of the £152.4 million first phase, which involves the design of a brand new shared educational facility encompassing Mayfield School, Lozells Junior & Infant & Nursery School and Holte Visual and Performing Arts College. The remaining schools will be built over five further phases, using designs created by a group of local, national and international architects appointed by Catalyst Education.

Jonathan Leah from Alsop (part of the Archial Group) said, “We are delighted to be working jointly with our colleagues at Archial on the most significant BSF initiative to date. We believe that together, we can provide the correct blend of intelligent architectural design and creative integrity to ensure our contribution to Birmingham’s education sector is that of a positive one.”

Birmingham City Council and its LEP partner Catalyst Education are aiming to have the redevelopment transformation complete by 2024.