Leading construction firm in the South West, Willmott Dixon, has reached the highest point of the new £11m project at Bournemouth and Poole College.
The ceremonial construction milestone at the college’s Poole campus was marked by a topping-out ceremony on-site today (Tuesday) at the three-storey building in front of gathered guests.
Willmott Dixon started work on the development, at North Road, in April after the company was tasked with creating a building that would house brand new facilities for the college and surrounding areas.
Once complete, the centre will include a contemporary 136-seat theatre for performing arts, a digital media centre and new laboratories for health and medical sciences at the college.
The project is on course to be completed to schedule in time for the next academic year, with the topping-out ceremony signaling progress made on the project to date.
Part of the ceremony included Ken Roberts, executive director of resources at the college, applying the final pour of structural concrete to the highest point of the building.
John Willcox, Willmott Dixon’s operations director, said: “We have a great relationship with Bournemouth and Poole College and with the community as a whole.
“Taking part in a topping-out ceremony is always an exciting moment but it’s especially so when the team is working on such an impressive building that will be a huge asset to the area.
“The project was due to take 65 weeks and we’re on schedule to meet that timescale and hand the building back to Bournemouth and Poole College by June 2015 so that students have a new building ready for the new term.”
Ken Roberts said: “We’ve been working closely with Willmott Dixon to establish a way in which we can improve the quality of the students’ experience at the college.
“We’re looking forward to the project being completed and providing a state-of-the-art environment for students to excel in their studies.
“The building will not only benefit our students, staff, residents and the whole of Poole but also provides support for the strategic objectives of the Dorset Local Enterprise Partnership.”
