Refurbishment of Croydon College gaming learning space

Our project brief was to refurbish an unused studio and lower ground floor corridor to house the new Esports Levels 2 & 3 BTEC courses. This is the first computer gaming course to be launched at Croydon College.

The works consisted of:

• A new suspended ceiling grid with acoustic ceiling tiles.

• New dimmable LED panel lighting.

• Passive infrared (PIR) movement sensors.

• Perimeter wall-mounted power and data within dado trunking.

• Upgrading of existing circuitry.

• Construction of acoustic stud walling, installation of new vinyl flooring and full redecoration.

Typically, it’s common for ‘hidden horrors’ to emerge on refurbishment projects as the space is stripped back to its structural shell. This project was no exception. And we identified several isolation points for essential services that had earlier been encased in a partition wall. This meant we had to make a change in the project design to ensure future accessibility.

The course content required us to deliver the client space, lighting, power and data installations to a very high technical specification. As well as providing a suitable base for the wall-mounted graphic design that would be carried out by Croydon College.

As this was a new course, the scope of the refurbishment was understandably ill-defined when the college first approached us.

With only limited details to work from, Ash Technical Services prepared an initial scope of work for the college to approve. And then worked closely with them to further develop the brief to ensure we met all their requirements and used the limited space available in the best possible way to deliver their learning goals.

Working within a live teaching environment can have its challenges. But putting Health and Safety first, and aiming to minimise disruption to college operations, is the key to delivery of a successful project. We ensured that our Risk Assessment Method Statement covered all possible scenarios and that our construction team were well briefed.

We identified clear communication channels before the commencement of work to ensure we could provide weekly progress updates to the college and deal with any scope changes that might be required during the project.

We successfully met the client brief, delivering a clean, crisp, effectively lit space that had all the infrastructure required to run the extensive network of gaming PCs. All works were completed on time and within budget.

The client was delighted with the outcome. They particularly appreciated our problem-solving skills, regular communications and flexible approach to a project which had an initially limited design brief.

The project has delivered a range of benefits, including:

• Enabling Croydon College to offer an innovative new Esports course which has generated huge interest in the community, providing transferable skills to students that are highly valued in our changing workplaces. (The course quickly reached the maximum number of applicants for its first-year launch.)

• An opportunity for the college to showcase how they are moving with the times – they are the only one in the area offering this course – developing their curriculum to reflect the emergence of the fast-growing video gaming industry.

• Provision of a smart, functional learning space, delivered to a high specification, which will help sell the college.

• Helping the client meet their goal of providing outstanding education and training opportunities for all, supporting economic growth through the delivery of the skills needed for employment and enterprise.