Morgan Sindall Construction delivers £9 million digital technology campus for South Essex College
Morgan Sindall Construction’s team in Essex has completed work on a brand new state-of- the-art technology campus for South Essex College in Basildon.
The £9 million scheme, delivered under the Pagabo framework, was the product of a collaborative partnership between Morgan Sindall Construction, South Essex College, Basildon Council and Homes England, with award winning architect Gibberd providing the design for the new campus.
The project was delivered by Morgan Sindall Construction’s team working out of the company’s newly opened Essex office, based in Eastwood House, Chelmsford.
Located in the heart of Basildon Town Centre, the new college boasts three floors of teaching areas suitable for students to study a rich curriculum of IT, games design and animation courses, as well as break areas and a café, to provide up to 500 students with a contemporary and innovative landscape to learn and relax.
Externally, new landscaping will create a civic square with links to Basildon Railway Station and a number of cycle parking zones, enhancing the vibrant offering of Basildon Town Centre both for cyclists and pedestrians.
Due to the campus’ central location, the project team worked closely with neighbours and local businesses and were able to design a bespoke logistics plan, including the use of a dedicated traffic marshal employed from the local area to control the service road for the site, and minimise disruption to the local community.
Morgan Sindall Construction was also able to offer work placements for people under the Women into Construction (WIC) scheme, helping engage women in predominantly male professions, and is working closely with South Essex College to provide more on-site work experience for STEM students across the county.
Chris Travers, Morgan Sindall Construction’s Essex area director, said: “We are delighted to be delivering this innovative new centre for South Essex College, providing students with an enriching environment to continue their academic career.
The campus will provide young people and adults with courses designed to meet the needs of employers across the region, and teach the skills required for a career in the tech industry.
We have enjoyed a close working relationship with South Essex College, Homes England, Basildon Council and all our project partners throughout the design and build process, and look forward to strengthening that relationship in the future.”
Leader of Basildon Council, Cllr Gavin Callaghan said: “This is a significant milestone for the college and the reimagining of Basildon town centre. This new state-of-the-art facility will bring an opportunity for the borough’s young people to equip themselves with the skills that are relevant to local employers.
We want as many partners like South Essex College as possible – organisations that are willing to invest and help build a modern, ambitious town that can thrive into the future.”
Angela O’Donoghue, Principal at South Essex College, said: “The building work is finished but now it’s time to get all the equipment, furniture and IT installed. We’re really excited about our upcoming relocation to Basildon, it is going to be great to have a dedicated digital technologies site. We are thankful to our partners Morgan Sindall Construction for delivering this fantastic facility despite the challenges of 2020.”
The former South Essex College Basildon campus will be transformed by Homes England into a residential area, providing 725 much needed high quality family homes.
Those involved in the project were:
- M&E: Lorne Stewart
- Lead architect: Gibberd
- Civil and Structural: Rossi Long
- Planning: VRG Planning
- PM: Attol Blue
- For more information about this news release please contact Ruth Cobban or Sophie Anderson at Influential on 07814 556 567 or 07593 133 363 or email cobban@thisisinfluential.com or anderson@thisisinfluential.com