An area of parkland at the University of Birmingham has been transformed, opening up new spaces for students, staff and the local community.

The Green Heart project, located at the historic Edgbaston campus, was delivered by Willmott Dixon.

The works have delivered spaces for performances and events, markets, a café and bar, and dedicated areas for art and sculptures.

Willmott Dixon installed a Pavegen walkway that generates data and off-grid electricity for USB charging point benches. The Green Heart also has comprehensive WiFi coverage and digital information totems. The project has also restored historic walkways as envisaged in the University's original design from the early 1900s.

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Nick Gibb, director of Willmott Dixon in the Midlands, said: "It has been fantastic to have been part of the team creating this stunning parkland for the University of Birmingham and its local communities to use. University of Birmingham is exceedingly forward-thinking in terms of deliverable and sustainable technology and the implementation of the Pavegen system in particular is a real step forward.

"I'm excited for the Green Heart Festival later in the year, where we'll celebrate our joint vision for the space coming to life, with students, staff and communities enjoying the space to its full potential."

Pavegen CEO and founder, Laurence Kemball-Cook added: "We are proud to play our part in this fantastic development, embracing design and the latest technology to provide a unique environment for the University of Birmingham community.

"The Pavegen walkway provides a versatile platform that converts users' footfall into off-grid energy to power local applications – we are monitoring it via a cloud-based platform."

The Green Heart was designed by Churchman Landscape Architects, with support from Associated Architects.

A weekend-long event will be held in June 2019 to celebrate the official launch of the area.

(CM)