We have designed the £12m state-of-the-art Aviation Academy, undertaking the plans for the modification and refurbishment of an existing 1930s ‘Type C’ Ministry of Defence hangar, close to Norwich Airport.

The design principle was to deliver a building refurbishment which respects the local context of the Airport Industrial Estate, yet captures the excitement of advanced engineering led by pioneering twenty-first century technologies.

The scheme incorporates 20 classrooms, five engineering workshops and an Emulation Zone containing an A320 aircraft and a helicopter. In this custom designed environment, trainees will have unparalleled facilities for learning.

A need for the new facility emerged from the well-documented worldwide skills deficit across a range of aviation activities around the UK. The project is a collaboration between a range of local authority stakeholders, local education providers, and KLM UK Engineering.

The Academy will initially focus on aviation engineering but will gradually extend its remit to include ground crew operations, air traffic control, cabin/crew training, operations, planning and pilot training. It is scheduled to open in January 2017.