Exeter’s Streatham Campus to Get New Al Qasimi Building with Philanthropic Pledge from His Highness Sheikh Dr Sultan bin Muhammad Al Qasimi

Exeter’s Streatham Campus to Get New Al Qasimi Building with Philanthropic Pledge from His Highness Sheikh Dr Sultan bin Muhammad Al Qasimi

(IN BRIEF) The University of Exeter has received a philanthropic pledge from His Highness Sheikh Dr Sultan bin Muhammad Al Qasimi, the Ruler of Sharjah, to co-fund the construction of a new development on Exeter’s Streatham campus. The proposed Al Qasimi Building will extend from the Institute of Arab and Islamic Studies, enhancing Exeter’s international reputation in culture, languages, and heritage. The building will foster interdisciplinary studies and research on climate, environmental management, peace, mediation, and stabilization in the Middle East region and the Global South. The Al Qasimi Building will also provide a focal point for Exeter’s student community and celebrate diversity, interconnectivity, and sustainability. The building will be designed to a low-carbon construction standard and achieve Passivhaus certification requirements, with construction likely starting in 2024 and expected to open in 2027.

(PRESS RELEASE) EXETER, 27-Mar-2023 — /EuropaWire/ —  University of Exeter, a public research university in Exeter, Devon, South West England, United Kingdom, has announced that it has received a philanthropic pledge from His Highness Sheikh Dr Sultan bin Muhammad Al Qasimi, the Ruler of Sharjah, to co-fund the construction of a new development on Exeter’s Streatham campus. The proposed building, named the Al Qasimi Building, will extend from the Institute of Arab and Islamic Studies, which His Highness has previously funded, and will enhance Exeter’s international reputation in area studies, particularly in culture, languages, and heritage.

The Al Qasimi Building will be unique in that it will incorporate academics and students from across Exeter’s three faculties, with a particular research focus on the Middle East region and the Global South. The new spaces will foster interdisciplinary studies related to climate and environmental management, peace, mediation, and stabilization, and health and wellbeing in the Arabian Gulf and beyond. The building will also be a new focal point for Exeter’s student community, providing an inclusive space for all students to gather, interact, and learn in a setting that celebrates diversity, interconnectivity, and sustainability.

The building will benefit from a design that will facilitate collaborative research and education and underpin Exeter’s engagement with institutions across Sharjah. It will also provide panoramic views west across the campus to the Whitcombe Way Valley Park and Exwick Woods beyond and will be designed to a low-carbon construction standard and achieve Passivhaus certification requirements.

Construction is anticipated to start immediately once all necessary permissions are granted, likely in 2024, with the building expected to open in 2027. The University’s relationship with Sharjah has extended over four decades and includes teaching and research collaborations in the humanities, education, and science.

In 2022, the University announced a groundbreaking partnership with the University of Khorfakkan to develop marine programs and position the emirate as the regional hub for the delivery of the UN’s ’30×30′ commitment to conserve the world’s oceans and build capacity by developing the next generation of Emirati and GCC marine scientists.

His Highness Sheikh Sultan is an alumnus of the University of Exeter, graduating with a PhD in History (Distinction) in 1985. He has been at the forefront of the emirate’s cultural, economic, and social development and played a significant role in promoting cultural interaction and dialogue among nations at local, regional, and international levels.

Professor Lisa Roberts, Vice-Chancellor and Chief Executive of the University of Exeter, said: I wish to extend my utmost gratitude to His Highness Sheikh Sultan.  This extraordinary act of philanthropy is transformational for our students and our staff, and its scale and ambition form the centrepiece of our 2030 Strategy.  It will help extend and deepen Exeter’s close relationship with Sharjah.  Once constructed, the Al Qasimi Building will be one of the finest buildings to be found on any university campus, and I look forward to welcoming His Highness back to Exeter to open the facility.

Media contact:
pressoffice@exeter.ac.uk

SOURCE: University of Exeter