Morgan Sindall has won a £4.2 million contract to construct a state-of-the-art sustainable centre which will offer training across the field of green technology at East Kent College.

The development is the first of its kind in Kent, and will comprise the construction of a new two-storey building which will house the Centre for Environmental Technologies at the college.

The new centre is due to open in September 2013 and was procured via the iESE (Improvement and Efficiency South East) framework. The centre has been designed with flexible workshops and teaching spaces, which can be easily adapted to accommodate the future education and training needs of students.

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Graham Razey, Principal of East Kent College, said: "We are delighted that this important development has been given the go ahead. The new centre will put East Kent College centre stage to deliver leading-edge education and training in environmental technologies.

"This will allow people in East Kent to take advantage of real employment opportunities within a rapidly growing sector with local companies such as the Thanet Offshore Wind Farm, Thanet Earth, the proposed 'green' power park at Richborough and, more specifically, the Green Deal."

The new building will showcase renewable technologies in action and is on track to achieve a Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Method (BREEAM) rating of Excellent.

Sustainable features include a small wind turbine, photo voltaic cells (solar panels), biomass heating, a geothermal heat pump, rainwater harvesting and the maximisation of natural daylight.

(CD)