Willmott Dixon goes sustainable on £29m Wokingham college deal

Willmott Dixon is set to introduce innovative and sustainable building technology now that it has emerged as preferred bidder for a £29m deal to revamp Waingels College in Woodley, Wokingham.

The borough council has gone for Willmott to replace the present college with new accommodation together with some refurb work of the old school building.

The scheme will be the largest-ever in the UK to use prefabricated solid timber panels sourced from sustainable and managed forests.

Mark Tant, managing director at Willmott's local office in Cobham, said: "It's a departure from traditional steel or concrete frame systems and, we believe, an exciting new option. We proposed it following big increases in steel prices.

"Added efficiency also means we can set a very tight timescale for construction."

Construction wortk on the new college is expected to start next year and phased completion is expected by October 2011.

Skanska also pitched for the scheme but later pulled out.