Barnsley College Construction Centre was officially opened by Lord David Blunkett on Friday 11th March.

The grand opening began with a welcome by the Principal of Barnsley College – Christopher Webb, followed by a speech from Lord David Blunkett who spoke about his time as a tutor at the college. Guests included The Mayor of Barnsley – Councillor Brian Mathers, Michael Dugher MP (Barnsley East), Dan Jarvis MP (Barnsley Central) and Dickie Bird O.B.E the former international cricket umpire.

The new Construction Centre for Barnsley College consolidates their existing facilities into one location.

• With a gross internal floor area of around 5,000m2, the new facilities provide a range of large-scale construction workshops for courses in brickwork, plastering, joinery, plumbing and gas as well as in painting & decorating.
• Combined with a large covered project area as well as an external sheltered area, these flexible workshops enable the College to respond to the rapidly changing skills needs of the construction industry.
• The workshop areas are also supported by a range of smaller-scale teaching, learning and social facilities.

Bond Bryan’s scheme was to unify the various disciplines and to create two distinct areas – to differentiate between the practical and theoretical study functions:

• The workshops feature a prominent “saw-tooth” roof profile to maximise the amount of natural daylight entering the practical learning areas, whilst the teaching areas are encompassed in a simple, naturally ventilated 2-storey block.
• An atrium space provides a physical division between the two areas – offering social and informal learning facilities, which culminate in a double-height, flexible work space with striking views of the surrounding landscape.

Project Architect at Bond Bryan – James Woodhouse – who worked on this project and attended Barnsley College himself said: “It was a great opportunity for me, personally, to give something back to the college that formed part of my education enabling me later to become an architect. It was exciting to help create fantastic new facilities for a town I feel very passionately about.”

Andrew Fairest – Vice Principal, Property Development at Barnsley College – commented: “Bond Bryan have delivered a truly outstanding performance, and one to be extremely proud of.”