HBG Midlands wins 36 million pound contract at Newcastle-under-Lyme College

The new College buildings will have several sustainability features, which will achieve BREEAM's "very good" rating, including:

• External lighting powered by photovoltaic cells and wind turbines;
• Windcatchers;
• A rainwater recycling installation which will be glazed to allow students to observe its construction and study its harvesting operation as a teaching aid, and
• Biofuel boilers powered by rape-seed oil.

The new College building will serve young people, adults and employers, and will be designed in post-tension concrete and cover 18,300 sq m over 2/3 storeys, featuring exposed concrete soffits, an auditorium, a large courtyard, an additional 1,800 sq m steel sports hall and playing fields.

HBG's project manager will be Ivan Gethin, who said: 'HBG is really looking forward to delivering these fantastic new facilities which are part of the regeneration of the Newcastle Town Centre. There is a lot of dynamism in the College and we anticipate a truly fantastic project. Not only will we build something outstanding, we will be looking actively to engage students at the college's nearby construction centre, who can really gain an understanding of construction by getting involved with our work here. Modern construction should not only be considerate of the neighbourhood?s needs, but should contribute to the communities it serves.'

HBG will make every effort to source the project's supply chain locally.

The new state-of-the-art campus will significantly expand the College's current facilities, incorporating the latest in teaching and learning technologies, and providing seminar and conferencing facilities for use by local companies.

HBG Midlands constructed the new Medical Education Centre at North Staffordshire Hospital, and it designed and constructed the highly regarded Matthew Boulton College in Birmingham where it is also building the new Joseph Chamberlain College. It is also constructing nine schools in Solihull and Bromsgrove, the new Friarsgate development in Lichfield, and eco-office developments in Birmingham. About a third of HBG UK's one-billion pound turnover is in the education sector and it is currently working on around a dozen college contracts worth in excess of £200 million across the country.

Further information:

• HBG UK: Mark Slattery, Press and Media Manager, 020 8338 2341;
• Newcastle-under-Lyme College: Rachel Elsey, 01782 254 337.