The Energy Academy

Overview

Based on the bank of the River Tyne in Wallsend, close to the heart of the North East’s offshore and renewable energy hub, The Energy Academy is a career-focused learning facility.

With a strong emphasis on practical and vocational renewable energy projects, the facility help students harness specialist industry knowledge and progress to further study or employment.

At the time of construction the academy was the first educational facility of its kind in the North East. The academy was the result of a multi-partner, cross collaboration between Newcastle College, local authorities, Sector Skills Councils and strategic stakeholders in the sector and evolving industry.

The project at The Energy Academy encompassed the design and construction of a specialist education facility with teaching and ancillary office accommodation, external works, drainage and mains services. The facility comprised of approximately 20,000 sq ft of internal teaching space and office accommodation, together with external hard standings and car park areas.

Internally the facility included: teachers’ lounge, meeting rooms, reception area, offices and classrooms equipped with benches and welding bays, fabrication equipment, MMA, MIG and TIG welding, plasma cutting and engineering workshops. The college was also equipped for the testing of 1KW turbines and solar panels as well as Computer Aided Design (CAD) facilities.

The project realised the conversion of a former cold storage facility into a renewable skills academy for Newcastle College, retaining and adapting the existing primary steelwork and constructing new twin skin cladding with ribbon glazing, new built up roof and internal mezzanine to accommodate first floor classrooms.