Delivering Cardiff and Vale College’s Barry Waterfront Campus and Advanced Technology Centre

Bouygues UK has been awarded the contract to build the £119 million Barry Waterfront Campus and the Advanced Technology Centre in the Vale of Glamorgan for Cardiff and Vale College (CAVC). Delivered through a single contract under the Mutual Investment Model (MIM) programme, both College campuses will be open and operational for students in 2027. This is the largest project being delivered through the MIM programme and developed by the Welsh Education Partnership Company (WEPCo). Designed by Sheppard Robson Architects and Arup’s multi-disciplinary engineering services, work will start on site in June this year, with an expected completion mid-year 2027. 

The Barry Waterfront Campus (BWC), which is being built on a brownfield site in the heart of Barry’s Waterfront Innovation Quarter, will be a state-of-the-art further education facility and community college. Accommodating up to 900 students who will be a mixture of full and part time, the Barry Waterfront Campus will offer a wide variety of courses including art and design, care and independent living, as well as hospitality, catering, hair and beauty therapy. With active street frontages, the hair and beauty salon and restaurant that will be open to the public and run by students offering students ‘real-life’ work experience and provide facilities open to public use.  

As a prominent Net Zero Carbon in Operation development in Barry Waterfront’s Innovation Quarter, the new campus is expected to become a long-term sustainable learning environment that will bring substantial community benefits. 

Based at Cardiff Airport, the Advanced Technology Centre (ATC) will accommodate almost 2,000 learners (a mix of full and part time) close to CAVC’s renowned International Centre for Aerospace Training (ICAT). In addition to flexible classrooms and workshops, the building will also include a Higher Education Business Centre, an advanced composites manufacturing facility, state of the art robotics and mechatronics labs and a “green skills house”.   

Students will use Virtual Reality and AI and have access to rapid prototyping, 3D metal printers and autonomous drones to support their studies. Automotive students will work with both electric and hydrogen vehicles. The ATC will focus on key growth areas, including artificial intelligence, composites, rapid prototyping, advanced design, electronics and net zero carbon technologies.  

Leading the project for Bouygues UK will be experienced Project Director Peter Sharpe, who has led Zone 1 of the multi-million-pound leisure, business and community health facility at Pentre Awel in Llanelli for Carmarthenshire Council. Both BWC and ATC will meet the Welsh Government’s stringent embodied carbon targets and will be Net Zero Carbon in Operation.   

Peter said of the project:

We are really looking forward to getting started on these exciting and innovative builds. 

Working on education projects is particularly satisfying as you know that they will bring benefits to young people for generations to come and we are looking forward to welcoming thousands of students into these buildings in 2027.

 Cardiff and Vale College Group Chief Executive Mike James said:

We are delighted to take this major step forward in our investment in education and training across the region. 

It is with real pleasure that I can say that we are delivering on our commitment to provide first-class teaching and learning environments for learners and the community in the Vale of Glamorgan. The Waterfront Campus and Advanced Technology Centre will also cater to the current and future needs of employers across the Vale and the wider Capital Region. 

We will continue to work closely with the Welsh Government, Vale of Glamorgan Council and Welsh Education Partnership Company to ensure this project will be the success that I know it will.

Delivered through the Welsh Government’s MIM programme, the new College campuses will be maintained and operated for 25 years, by Robertson FM, once construction works are completed in 2027, ensuring that the buildings remain as high-quality facilities for years to come.  

Christian Stanbury, CEO of WEPCo commented:

We’re delighted to have reached such an important milestone in the development of such a landmark College project. Having worked alongside Cardiff and Vale College for several years we understand the difference this will make to future generations of learners and the whole College community. The outstanding quality and net zero carbon credentials will enable the College to deliver critical skills and educational needs in the region. This achievement reflects true partnership in action and will be a relationship we retain for years to come.

A key priority for Bouygues UK and WEPCo, is the commitment made to the Welsh Government and CAVC on providing long-lasting and impactful social value benefits over the course of the construction works. The impact of value delivered will be wide-ranging and will focus on students engagement with a particular focus on Science Technology Engineering and Math (STEM), upskilling the local supply chain and the provision of apprenticeships, training and job opportunities. Bouygues UK will also utilise the WEPAcademi platform to provide a programme of training courses on construction related subjects.