ISG Plc - General Development - Blackpool, Lancashire

Date: 17 Apr 2008

ISG is preferred contractor on a £4.4 million design & build project to re-develop Blackpool and The Fylde College's university campus. This key investment in educational facilities takes place amid the backdrop of a wider multi-million pound 15-year regeneration master-plan within Blackpool, which aims to create a 21st century international resort with a sustainable year round economy.

The university campus development will enable the College to bring the majority of its degree-level education provision under one roof, to create a university campus for students. The project sees ISG build a new three-storey, steel frame central hub building which will feature a refectory, learning resource and student services areas, as well as administrative offices on the upper floor.

The building has been designed to achieve an 'Excellent' BREEAM environmental rating, with natural ventilation and a rainwater harvesting system contributing to its sustainable credentials. A landmark building within the area, the new hub will feature large areas of curtain walling and rain screen cladding to its façade.

Externally, ISG will undertake major landscaping works, installing new retaining walls and creating pathways and disabled access routes as well as pleasant seating areas. ISG will also form a link bridge and new entrance from the landscaped area to an existing Victorian building to enhance accessibility. The project is due to commence by summer 2008 and is scheduled for completion during the summer of 2009.

Craig Tatton, managing director of ISG's regional business, commented: "The new hub building represents a major investment in Blackpool and The Fylde College's core infrastructure and is central to the future ambitions of this highly regarded regional institution."

Blackpool and The Fylde College