The new building for Royal College Manchester is made up of a reception and specialist classrooms along with sports and administration facilities.
It will provide specialist education facilities for students aged 16 to 25 who have sensory impairment and learning difficulties.
The building will also incorporate a café, activity hall with extended climbing wall, fitness suite, rebound room, sensory integration room and a suite of flexible multi-purpose rooms at ground floor level, with contemporary office space above and external landscaping. The building will have 12 classrooms and six individual teaching spaces.
Seashell provides support for young people with complex disabilities and communication needs. The specially equipped college building is designed to enable staff and students to move about with the minimum of restriction. It replaces an existing building which was not fit for purpose and did not have space for the adaptations needed to accommodate many of the students, some of whom use wheelchairs and other equipment to move about. Some students also live on campus in neighbouring residential homes.
Seashell chief executive Brandon Leigh said: “The new college building will mean improved accessibility for students and will be much better at meeting the needs of the young adults with complex disabilities who come to Seashell. Seeing the building complete will be a monumental point in our history.”
Eric Wright Construction (EWC) started enabling works in January and the building is expected to complete in autumn 2025.
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