The new extension to the South Wing at Colchester Institute marks a key milestone for the College, after an £85 million scheme to replace the existing campus was cancelled in 2008, part-way through development by the now disbanded Learning and Skills Council.
The new linked four-storey extension is being constructed on partially formed foundations – the legacy of the earlier redevelopment scheme. ISG will install further piles to support the new concrete-frame teaching block, which will provide additional classrooms, workshops, a library building and office accommodation. The building will be linked at all levels by glazed walkways to the West Wing on the Sheepen Road campus in Colchester and incorporates a raft of sustainable features to help achieve a BREEAM Excellent environmental performance rating.
The 41,500 sq ft extension includes eight engineering and construction skills workshops at ground floor level – providing practical teaching space for students in plumbing, electrical engineering and advanced manufacturing. At first floor level, ISG will create a library, seminar rooms and a dedicated facility for the study of building technology and renewable energy sources. General teaching spaces, ICT suites, multi-purpose science laboratories, woodwork, a pottery workshop and a TV studio facility are located across the two upper levels.