Merton College Press Room

College Reaches New Heights, 23/06/05
Construction of the new £8 million building at Merton College in Morden, Surrey, has reached roof height, and to mark this achievement college principal, Sally McEnhill, and chair of the governors, Karl Carter, performed the traditional ‘Topping out’ ceremony today (23 June 2005).

This is the second element of the overall £24 million redevelopment, phased over three years including both new a new building to house the 6 th form centre and a total refurbishment. It will ultimately enable the college to consolidate its activities on a single site, serving some 5,000 students.

Sally McEnhill said: “It has taken a considerable amount of effort by a lot of people over a long period of time to get this redevelopment project to where it is today. It is gratifying for the whole team to be able to mark this stage of the construction.”

Designed by specialist education architects, Nightingale Associates, the new buildings will provide 6,000m² of floorspace. The buildings will be of steel frame construction and clad with brickwork and proprietary glazing. The design includes an impressive new 6 th form academy with state of the art facilities. There will be a new main entrance and atrium, which will be glazed throughout, whilst the remainder of the buildings will include a library learning centre, internet café and advice centre, as well as specially designed classrooms, laboratories and workshops.

The main contractor, Fitzpatrick Contractors Limited, started work on the project in February this year. Established in 1921, it has worked on a number of prestigious projects, including the remodelling of Trafalgar Square in London which has won a number of awards.

ENDS

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