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Willmott Dixon has been appointed by South Gloucestershire Council as preferred bidder to build the new £16m Yate International Academy.
The scheme was given the green light following a review of academy schemes by Education Secretary Michael Gove.
The new facility in Sundridge Park, Yate, will replace the former King Edmund Community School, where the academy opened last year, as one of the Ridings Federation of Academies. The school’s existing 45-year-old buildings will be demolished.
The new facility, which will cater for 900 pupils, will feature a central, open space at the entrance around the main hall at first floor level, branded the 'Hub'.
The Academy will have a number of sustainable features, such as heat coming from a ground source heat pump, photovoltaics providing energy to pump the water from the ground, and extensive use of highly insulated materials to retain the heat and reduced energy costs.
Willmott Dixon is due to start on site in March 2011 with the new academy opening by September 2012, subject to full planning approval.
It brings to nearly £600m the amount of work the company has secured under the academies framework.
Neal Stephens, managing director for Willmott Dixon in the South West, where the company has an office in Bristol, said, “We will now work closely with South Gloucestershire Council, the Sponsor, and the chief executive of Riding’s Federation of Academies over the next few months to achieve the final design before we start on site. We are keen that all stakeholders have an input and influence on the academy to ensure it can enhance the whole community in Yate.”
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