Bradford College ‘Junction Mills’ Development Achieves Sustainability Award for Carbon Savings

Bradford College is celebrating after attaining Morgan Sindall Construction’s platinum certification for outstanding carbon savings on a new building development. It was the only project in the whole of the Yorkshire region to achieve this status in 2025.

Bradford College’s £19.3 million Junction Mills building on Thornton Road has saved an impressive 473 tonnes of carbon over the project’s design and construction phases to date. The four-storey new-build project has achieved carbon savings equivalent to heating 175 UK homes for a whole year.

Morgan Sindall deployed its Intelligent Solutions ethos to reach this achievement. This included the use of CarboniCa, a carbon reduction tool that measures whole life carbon emissions at a buildings design, construction, and entire lifecycle.

Set to open its doors later this year, Junction Mills will offer students skills in new technologies, such as modern automotive and digital engineering, electric/hybrid vehicles and advanced manufacturing. The Centre will be vital in supporting the growth of technology and low-carbon skills capability within West Yorkshire.

Pamela Sheldon, Head of Projects at Bradford College, said:

“Sustainability has been embedded into every stage of this project. For example, precast elements such as lift shafts and stairs have been manufactured off-site using Modern Methods of Construction (MMC) to improve efficiency, quality, and sustainability in the building’s construction.

“This new facility represents a significant leap in how we equip young people with the skills needed for a low-carbon economy, so it is fitting that a building dedicated to low-carbon skills should be constructed with sustainability at its core.”

Design and material optimisation over the project has included changing the rear external cladding (69 tonnes saved), altering the internal partitions from blockwork walls to plasterboard (57 tonnes saved), using a cement replacement in the concrete pile foundations (57 tonnes saved), and utilising EFA steel for the framework from Electric Arc Furnaces (290 tonnes saved).

Morgan Sindall awarded the project a platinum certification in recognition of the volume of carbon saved and the number of case studies produced in evidencing the work. As a result, Bradford College has also been given £5,000 by Morgan Sindall for use on a sustainability project. Junction Mills achieved a full score under the Considerate Constructors Scheme’s Care for the Environment category, recognising efforts to minimise impacts and enhance the natural environment. 

Ben Hall, Morgan Sindall’s area director for Yorkshire, said: 

“Achieving platinum certification on the Junction Mills development demonstrates what is possible when sustainability is embedded from the outset of a project. By applying our Intelligent Solutions approach and working collaboratively with Bradford College, we’ve delivered significant whole-life carbon savings while creating a highly functional, future-focused learning environment.

“Junction Mills will leave a lasting legacy for students, the College, and the wider West Yorkshire region and it’s a project we’re immensely proud to be part of.”

Over the last two years, Bradford College has secured nearly £32 million in funding, with Junction Mills central to an ambitious estates strategy, designed to nurture inspiring careers that support regional economic growth. The Junction Mills project was made possible thanks to £17.8 million from the Department for Education Further Education Capital Transformation Fund (FECTF) and a £1.5 million College contribution.

Other recent capital projects include the opening of Garden Mills – a flexible digital, science, and allied health training facility for higher-level students - and remodelled T Level training facilities for business, media, catering, and hair and beauty students.

Visit the dedicated Capital Bids & Projects web page to explore all the developments happening across Bradford College campuses: www.bradfordcollege.ac.uk/capitalprojects