Bradford College is celebrating after its new Junction Mills building earned platinum certification from Morgan Sindall Construction for outstanding carbon savings, the only project in Yorkshire to achieve the status in 2025.

The £19.3 million, four-storey development on Thornton Road has saved 473 tonnes of carbon over its design and construction phases—equivalent to the annual heating of 175 UK homes. The building is scheduled to open later this year and will provide students with skills in modern automotive and digital engineering, electric and hybrid vehicles, and advanced manufacturing, supporting low-carbon and technology-focused skills in West Yorkshire.

Morgan Sindall achieved the milestone through its Intelligent Solutions approach, which included the use of CarboniCa, a tool that measures whole-life carbon emissions across a building’s design, construction and lifecycle.

Pamela Sheldon, Head of Projects at Bradford College, said: "Sustainability has been embedded into every stage of this project. For example, precast elements such as lift shafts and stairs have been manufactured off-site using Modern Methods of Construction (MMC) to improve efficiency, quality, and sustainability in the building’s construction.

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"This new facility represents a significant leap in how we equip young people with the skills needed for a low-carbon economy, so it is fitting that a building dedicated to low-carbon skills should be constructed with sustainability at its core."

Design and material optimisations contributed significantly to carbon reductions, including:

• Changing rear external cladding (69 tonnes saved)

• Replacing internal blockwork walls with plasterboard partitions (57 tonnes saved)

• Using a cement replacement in concrete pile foundations (57 tonnes saved)

• Utilising EFA steel for the framework from Electric Arc Furnaces (290 tonnes saved)

Morgan Sindall awarded the project platinum certification in recognition of both the volume of carbon saved and the number of case studies documenting the work. Bradford College also received £5,000 from Morgan Sindall to support a sustainability initiative. Junction Mills additionally achieved a full score in the Considerate Constructors Scheme's Care for the Environment category, highlighting efforts to minimise environmental impact and enhance natural surroundings.

Ben Hall, Morgan Sindall’s Yorkshire area director, said: "Achieving platinum certification on the Junction Mills development demonstrates what is possible when sustainability is embedded from the outset of a project. By applying our Intelligent Solutions approach and working collaboratively with Bradford College, we’ve delivered significant whole-life carbon savings while creating a highly functional, future-focused learning environment.

"Junction Mills will leave a lasting legacy for students, the College, and the wider West Yorkshire region and it’s a project we’re immensely proud to be part of."