Morgan Sindall is to start work on a £19.2 million project in Hull in the latest stage of the £400 million Hull Building Schools for the Future (BSF) programme.

The business, which has offices in Hull city centre, will undertake a new build and refurbishment project at St Mary's College.

The works will involve the construction of a highly-specialised new 70,000 sq ft teaching block, designed by Capita Symonds. It will comprise 12 humanities classrooms, six sixth form classrooms, 14 state-of-the-art science laboratories, 7,500 sq ft art and design space, a food technology classroom, two ICT suites and a learning resource centre.

As a specialist sports college, St Mary's College will receive a new 11,840 sq ft three court sports block with three sports science classrooms, an all-weather pitch and multi-use games area. The new campus building will also include a new professional-standard 300-seat theatre with a fly tower, allowing stage scenery to be raised and lowered during performances. This is one of the first to be installed in an education environment in the UK.

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Due to the large amount of glazing and south facing frontage in its design, the new building will use thermal modelling and solar controlled glazing to ensure a steady internal temperature.

Gordon Ray, North East construction managing director at Morgan Sindall, said: "The project at St Mary's College is the latest step in Hull’s largest regeneration scheme which is continuing to transform the education facilities in the city, providing state-of-the-art learning environments for generations to come. Not only are we refurbishing the traditional subject classrooms such as English and Maths, with the new build we are providing an inspirational place of learning - upgrading the facilities of the college’s more specialist areas such as sports, sciences, drama, arts, ICT and media to create a highly specialised learning hub."

Morgan Sindall completed work on the first two state-of-the-art schools to be delivered under the Hull BSF scheme in late 2011 - the £33 million Archbishop Sentamu Academy and the £38 million Winifred Holtby and Tweendykes School. The firm is also currently delivering on three further school construction contracts, worth a total of £64.5 million. Kingswood College of Arts, Oakfield Special School and Andrew Marvell College are close to completion.

(CD)