Image, Sheppard Robson Architects

Bouygues UK has been appointed to deliver two new educational facilities for Cardiff and Vale College.

Due for completion in 2027, the project will see the development of the Barry Waterfront Campus (BWC) and the Advanced Technology Centre (ATC).

Carried out under the Mutual Investment Model programme, the BWC is planned for a brownfield site and will serve as a further education centre and vocational college.

Designed to house up to 900 students, the campus will offer courses in art and design, personal care, hospitality and catering, and hairdressing and beauty therapy, among others.

The facility will feature a health and beauty salon and a restaurant, both of which will be operated by students as a practical application of their skills.

The ATC, located at Cardiff Airport, will specialise in areas of growth such as AI, composites, rapid prototyping, advanced design, electronics, and net-zero carbon technologies, with a capacity for around 2,000 students.

It will house flexible classrooms and workshops, a higher education business centre, an advanced composites manufacturing facility, labs for robotics and mechatronics, and a space for training in renewable technologies.

Both facilities will adhere to the Welsh Government’s strict decarbonisation targets and will be carbon neutral during their operational phase.

Bouygues UK, in partnership with the Welsh Education Partnership Company, has committed to ensuring that the project delivers a positive long-term social impact, with a focus on science, technology, engineering, and mathematics disciplines to facilitate upskilling and address skill shortages.

Sheppard Robson Architects, based in London, has designed the buildings and construction work is set to begin this month.

Bouygues UK chief executive, Philippe Bernard, said: “This project symbolises our commitment to creating buildings that are useful to society, innovative, and sustainable.”