THE new multi-million pound international centre being built at Tavistock College has just about reached the halfway stage ? and staff at the school this week said the signs are looking good for an on-target completion. Construction work started in August after months of frustrating delays, but facilities manager Tony Gilbert said the building was really starting to take shape. ?The main steel structure is now up, all the footings are complete, the majority of the drainage is now complete and at the moment the concrete is going in on the ground floor. ?The main part of the roof structure has been installed, with the roof lights going in later.? Mr Gilbert said the completion date for the centre was May 6 and so far, work was ?pretty much on schedule?. When the building is complete, it will provide the college with 15 new standard classrooms, a new IT suite, a staff professional centre, a sixth form study centre, toilet facilities, a ground flooor disabled toilet and on the first floor, a full disabled suite. Mr Gilbert said: ?That consists of a bed, shower, hoist, toilet ? everything the law requires us to have now. It?s something we haven?t had at the college until now, so it will be good for us to have.? Mr Gilbert said the building was now quite an impressive sight ? and both students and staff were excited to see it develop. ?The main thing that everybody says is how big it is. You didn?t get the feeling of that initially with the fencing all around, it wasn?t until the steel went up that everyone gasped and said ?It?s massive?. It really stands out now.? He said the working relationship between the school and the contractors, Mowlem, had been excellent. ?We?ve just been through a session of exams and it worked okay. The work has to carry on, they can?t stop completely but they?ve kept the noise to a minimum and did the less noisy stuff during exams.? Mr Gilbert said the new building will be linked to the existing sixth form centre by a corridor, the window design will be the same and hopefully, over the next few years, it would blend in and ?all feel one?. Although the building work is due to finish in May, the building will not be put into use until September as it has to be fitted out with new furniture, equipment, books, IT equipment etc. ?There will be a phenomenal amount of work to do to get it ready,? he said. Charlie Naylor, Tavistock College vice-principal, said staff were delighted with the way the new centre was taking shape. ?We?re really looking forward to moving in. We know that can?t happen until September but we are grateful that everything is on schedule and we?re looking forward to the prospect of our having our students taught in high quality accommodation instead of temporary.?
