Ingleton Wood appointed to provide multi-disciplinary design and management services for Chelmsford College Construction Centre Thursday, 1st July 2021

We are pleased to announce that we have been appointed to provide key multi-disciplinary services for Chelmsford College’s new Construction Centre.

The purpose-built two-storey modern facility, which has received funding from South East Local Enterprise Partnership (SELEP), is set to provide the resources and equipment needed to support the education and training of students and apprentices to become skilled tradespeople ready for work in the construction industry.

Ingleton Wood has been appointed to provide full multi-disciplinary design and management services.

Debs Hurst, Vice Principal Finance and Corporate Services at Chelmsford College, said: "Ingleton Wood has a proven track record in the education sector and has provided professional design services on a number of projects for the college over the past decade.  

“As a multi-disciplined practice, we have benefitted in making a single consultancy appointment for the key construction design disciplines, where the designs and specifications have been agreed in advance, allowing us to have greater control in the quality of our new building.

“We are delighted with progress so far. The main contractor is now on site with Ingleton Wood ensuring that what is delivered matches our expectations."

The mission behind the new Construction Centre, in keeping with the ‘Industrial Strategy – Building a Britain Fit for the Future’, is to “establish a technical education system which rivals the best in the world to stand alongside our world-class higher education system”.

Andrew Marchant, Associate Building Surveyor at our Colchester office, said: “The state-of-the-art Construction Centre will help Chelmsford attract the next generation of construction workers which the industry vitally needs and provide better opportunities for school leavers as we invest in the future.”

The new build supports SELEP’s key priorities in increasing construction apprenticeships and industry relevant qualifications; ensuring the local workforce is upskilled; equipping learners with required skills to meet the needs of local projects; to meet the requirements of T Levels and level 4 and 5 qualifications within the industry and to meet the growing demand for construction professionals.

Simon Drane, Director of Curriculum at Princes Road at Chelmsford College, said: “We’re excited that our new Construction Centre will include cutting-edge workshops for site carpentry, bench joinery and a renewables workshop to enable design, construction and operation on low carbon building technology including effective use of renewables to meet the required demand for growth in this SELEP priority sector.”

South East Local Enterprise Partnership Chair Christian Brodie said: “Construction is an incredibly important industry in the South East, and we are delighted to be able to help provide cutting-edge facilities for students in this field through the funding of Chelmsford College’s new Construction Centre.”

Stuart Graham, Economic Development and Implementation Services Manager at Chelmsford City Council, added: “As a growing city with a strong track record of housing, economic and infrastructure delivery, it is vital that we have the right local skills in the workforce to support the construction sector.

“We are delighted that Chelmsford College now has the funds in place to deliver its new Construction Centre and we look forward to it coming to fruition and our local workforce and businesses benefitting from the new skills that the Centre will support.”

The Construction Centre at Chelmsford College is expected to be completed in early 2022.