Kier Western has been awarded a £6 million design & build contract for Bridgwater College's new Energy Skills Centre in Somerset.

The new centre will focus on two specific areas: science and engineering, where students will be trained in subjects including robotics, electronics and material science; and the realistic working environment, in which students will learn about operating elements within commercial power stations and the decommissioning of existing power stations.

Kier Western will provide classrooms, specialist workshops, laboratories and administration support offices, as well as a new car park and landscaped areas.

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A teaching space on the roof will enable students to assess the energy efficiency of the centre’s green energy technologies and evaluate other alternative energy innovations, as well as providing an area for students to carry out their own experiments.

Martyn Osborne, Kier Western Operations Director, commented: "We are delighted to have been awarded this exciting contract, which will provide fantastic learning opportunities for science and engineering students in Somerset.

"The building itself will be a great demonstration of green technologies as our project team have designed it to achieve a BREEAM rating of Excellent by incorporating a quiet revolution wind turbine, solar heating and photovoltaic cells on the roof."

The top of the building will also be partly covered in a green sedum roof which will be used for rainwater harvesting and will contain ventilation chimneys that will help naturally ventilate the building. In addition, the new car park will act as a storm water attenuation tank, releasing rain water slowly back in to the local environment and assisting with flood prevention.

Kier Western is due to complete the project in November 2010.

(CD/GK)