Bouygues UK, part of Bouygues Construction, has received a £119m ($160.9m) contract to build two new educational facilities for Cardiff and Vale College (CAVC) in South Wales.
The two new facilities are set to welcome their first students in 2027.
The construction of the Barry Waterfront Campus (BWC) and the Advanced Technology Centre (ATC) will be 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.
The ATC 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 norms 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.
During the construction phase, Bouygues UK will engage local contractors to enhance employment and skills development and will provide apprenticeships and training courses to create new career prospects for the local community.
Sheppard Robson Architects, based in London, UK, has designed the buildings.
Construction is set to begin this month, with completion due by mid-2027.
Bouygues UK CEO Philippe Bernard said: “This project symbolises our commitment to creating buildings that are useful to society, innovative and sustainable. Our support for Cardiff and Vale College in the development of these two new campuses is part of our tangible contribution to the training of tomorrow’s talent and to the ecological transition of the education sector.”
Bouygues UK has a track record in educational facility construction, with projects such as Pencoedtre High School, Westminster City School, Cardiff Innovation Campus, and Bath School of Management.
Bouygues Construction’s international portfolio includes the BCA Academy in Singapore, the Rolex Learning Center in Switzerland, and the Centrale Supélec engineering school in France.
In August 2024, the UK’s Department for Education appointed Bouygues UK as the lead contractor for Stanmore College in Harrow, England.
