Steel signing marks progress of new, multi-million-pound build at Crawley College

A special ceremony has taken place to mark the progress made on the construction of Sussex & Surrey Institute of Technology’s (SSIoT) new £15 million centre at Crawley College.

Senior figures from Chichester College Group (CCG), which includes Crawley College, and project partners visited the site to ceremoniously sign one of the building’s steel beams.

New Crawley MP Peter Lamb was among the guests, as well as key leaders from Crawley Borough Council and representatives from Gatwick Diamond Business and other members of the local business community.

Paul Rolfe, Director of the SSIoT and Associate Principal at CCG, was among those signing the steel. He said: “We are thrilled to have this unique opportunity to add our mark to the construction of this fantastic new building.

“This will be a key focal point for Crawley College, providing more opportunities to support learning in our region, ensuring the SSIoT’s commitment to educating and training people in engineering, construction and IT industries will thrive.

“The building is really taking shape, and it’s exciting to see the structure go up. We’re very much looking forward to opening our new facility in 2025.

“My thanks to our construction partners at Amiri and our SSIoT partners for their ongoing commitment to this development.”

The main contractors, Amiri, started work on the site over the summer and have made enormous progress, putting in place the steelwork.

Julius Kenyi, Project Manager at Amiri Construction, revealed: “Following the completion of the steel frame, the project is currently progressing with the installation of precast hollow-core floor planks. This phase is ongoing, and weather permitting, it should be completed by mid-October. This will mark another important milestone in the construction programme.

“The target is to move swiftly towards achieving a watertight building, at which point we are excited to begin the internal works, including fit-out and finishes.”

The finished building will house high quality learning environments with specialist construction, engineering and digital ‘Learning Factories’ – all designed to be inclusive for all students.

Sustainability has been a key feature of the design, which includes a number of features to reduce energy consumption and integrate renewable energy technologies.