Health and sustainable development go hand-in-hand as New City College’s Wellness Centre takes shape

An exciting new sport and wellness centre under development at New City College Epping Forest will provide state-of-the-art fitness facilities for students and the local community, as well as contributing to making the campus greener.

Designed by architects at Scott Brownrigg and delivered by Neilcott Construction, the new building, in Borders Lane, Loughton, will not just be good for health and wellbeing – it is designed with environmental sustainability in mind.

A laminated timber frame is being used as the building structure instead of a traditional steel frame. This frame is 30% less carbon intensive than a steel frame, saving a whopping 90 tonnes of CO₂e from being emitted into the atmosphere. How much is 90 tonnes of CO₂e? It equates to a diesel car driving around the world more than twice!

Narzny Khan, Principal of NCC Epping Forest and Redbridge campuses said: “It is so exciting to see the construction of the new sport and wellness centre progress. I cannot wait to welcome our students and the community into the new centre at the start of the next academic year.

“It will be a great facility for both students and local residents. Becoming a greener college is one of our strategic priorities – and this new wellness centre is an example of what this means in practice.”

The laminated timber frame achieves the 2030 targets set by the UK Government for net zero and is aligned with New City College’s Green Strategy.

NCC is committed to reducing its negative impact on the environment. The Annual Report 2021/22 provides a progress update on the college’s journey to becoming a greener college.

New City College is celebrating Green Week from 20-24 March where activities for staff and students are focused on raising awareness about environmental sustainability.