Refurbishment Project to Provide ‘Construction Centre of Excellence’ in England

Esh Construction has commenced work to transform an existing factory unit into a Construction Centre of Excellence in Langley Moor (England).
Working in partnership with New College Durham, the £1.7-million project will see a change of use refurbishment delivered to create a specialized teaching facility for trade subjects. The building will be remodeled to create a space that includes teaching rooms, breakout areas, changing facilities and a practice area for teaching.

Based on Littleburn Industrial Estate, a newly engineered joisted floor will create a mezzanine area to house the mechanical plant. The existing building fabric will be stripped back to reveal the existing portal frame before being reclad with new composite cladding while internal partitions will be created to form classrooms, breakout spaces and a workshop.

The Promotion House scheme follows Esh’s successful completion of New College Durham’s collaborative and integrated learning space, T.H.E Hub (Technical and Higher Education Hub) in September 2023. The £8.9-million education facility is based at the college’s Framwellgate Moor site and features 23 new teaching spaces, including an immersive suite, early years foundation nursery and multiple sector-specific arenas.

New College Durham envisages the newly refurbished building to function in September 2024. It will be used initially for the brick curriculum, but will also house building maintenance and painting and decorating lessons at a later date.

The general contractor’s social value team will support the project by delivering a raft of initiatives, including employability and careers sessions aimed to inspire young people to consider a career in construction, offering apprentice training weeks and creating employment opportunities for local residents.