New College Campus Is Bang On Schedule

Construction work on the new building takes place (shot taken in July 09)

Work on South Cheshire College's new multi-million pound campus is progressing well and is on course for completion by July 2010.

Almost a year since construction work on the £74 million project started, the campus is set to be unveiled as the most advanced building in the further education sector when it opens its doors in September 2010.

The steelwork structure of the new semi-circular campus is now in place and will be fully enclosed with completion of the outer walls by October this year.

Students who start courses at the high-flying College in September 2010 will be able to take advantage of some outstanding facilities in the new three-storey design.

The site will house state-of-the-art teaching and learning areas, a 300-seat theatre, a brand new bistro and restaurant, a college shop, a new child care centre, and a conference centre.

There will also be four different cafes, including an up-market coffee shop, hot and cold food outlets, salad bars and healthy eating outlets.

The centre-piece of the new facility will be a huge glass atrium with social spaces and views out over the copse of trees and a circular moat at the front of the College.

A managed building control system will be integrated into the new campus and the infrastructure will be cabled to the very latest standard technology which gives the College the capacity to transmit high definition video, voice and data over the same network.

Work on the new college nursery, which will be located in a separate building towards the front of the campus, is also well underway.

Nigel Peet, Director of Curriculum Support, said: "Work on the new campus is moving at a phenomenally fast pace and despite some very wet weather this year the building will be completed by July 2010 ready for the opening in September 2010.

"It has been very exciting to see the structure going up and gain an idea of the size and scale of the building. "We are looking forward to having one of the finest further education buildings in the country."

BAM Construction are the main building contractors for the project and have been on site since last summer laying foundations for the new campus before starting on the construction phase of the project.

A number of sustainability factors have been built into the new campus to make it a comfortable place to work and study in all seasons of the year.

They include air source heat pumps, heat recovery systems, a solar thermal heating and a brown roof on the main building and a grey water recycling facility that will collect and recycle rainwater.

The campus will also be fitted with Co2 and temperature sensors that open and close windows automatically depending on the outside temperature.

Nigel Peet added: "For a project of this size everything is running as smoothly as it possibly can.

"We are delighted with the progress that has been made and the work that BAM have done for us so far.

"Almost a year into the two year building project we are starting to see all the planning that went into the new campus come to fruition."

For further information about the new campus development project please contact Chris Bentley at South Cheshire College on +44 (0)1270 654652.