Willmott Dixon scoops £49m net-zero campus

Willmott Dixon has picked up a £48.8m net-zero campus job near Manchester.The Department for Education (DfE) selected the firm from its construction framework for a new building for Wigan & Leigh College, a further education college in Wigan, Greater Manchester.The new three-storey, 10,600 square metre building has been designed to emit net-zero carbon while in use. It features photovoltaic solar panels and targets a 40 per cent net increase in biodiversity.When completed in 2027, the project will host around 3,400 students, providing seminar rooms, IT suites and laboratories. A public-facing element will feature a restaurant, florist and salon operated by students.To make way for the new building, Willmott Dixon will demolish the existing School of Arts building in phases. Wigan & Leigh College will remain fully open for staff and students during construction.Wigan & Leigh College is the latest in a set of operational net-zero educational projects for Willmott Dixon. The firm recently delivered Tarleton Academy in Preston, Lancashire, and Brian Clarke Academy in Oldham, Greater Manchester. It is currently building a campus for Bridgend College in Wales.Willmott Dixon’s northern director, Michael Poole-Sutherland, said the firm’s team of education and sustainability specialists would bring a wealth of experience to the build, with the college’s 14,000 students “at the heart of everything we do”.The contractor will create 200 weeks of apprenticeships, support 15 T-level placements, deliver 180 weeks of work experience and engage hundreds of local students, he added.Poole-Sutherland said: “We share the college and the DfE’s commitment to creating a catalyst for changing lives for local people and are committed to investing in local skills and organisations, with a focus on opportunities for young and unemployed Wigan residents.”