Calon: One year on from groundbreaking

It’s a year since the ground-breaking ceremony for Calon – the new Computing, Engineering and Technology building being constructed on the University of South Wales (USW) Treforest Campus.

There will be more than 40 teaching, learning, and research spaces in the five-storey building, including electronics and hydraulics labs, a flight simulator, a robotics lab, clean and industrial research spaces, collaborative teaching spaces, as well as virtual reality capability, and exhibition spaces.

The construction project has seen major changes to the campus, and the site of the specialist facility.

Prior to work starting on the construction, two buildings on the campus – Brecon and Kidwelly – were demolished, while another building – Eynon - was removed as part of the Calon project. The site also underwent extensive preparation work, with contractors BAM diverting services, including gas, water, drainage, high-voltage electrical cables, and fibre communications.

After ground stabilisation work was completed, piling mats were laid to support the heavy machinery needed during the early part of construction.

Work on Calon’s foundations involved the installation of 186 individual 750mm diameter concrete piles, which were driven down 15 metres to reach stable ground. On top of these, the pile caps and ground beams were connected to support the concrete frame, which has required up to five concrete pours per floor, and is now nearing completion.

Two cranes were welcomed onto campus early in 2025 – one 35 metres tall and the other being 40 metres tall - to start constructing the impressive frame of the building. Almost 950 tonnes of reinforced steel has been used in the 23-metre high build, and fabrication is underway on the attractive external façade of the building, with materials sourced from Tata Steel.

There have been more than 140 people working on the project, including construction company BAM and specialist sub-contractors Thames Valley Construction and NG Bailey, a design team from Stride Treglown architects and Arup engineers, as well as project management company Currie & Brown.

Looking to the next steps, steel framing and weatherboarding installation are underway, with window installation due to start in in the next few weeks. Cladding will be added to the building shortly after, which will start to show the final appearance of the building’s external façade.

The building has been designed to specifically meet high targets for energy efficiency in operation and low levels of embodied carbon, and incorporates many green technologies, including heating, power generation, and lighting.

Miranda Thomas, USW’s Project Manager for Calon, said: “Calon is rising above the surrounding buildings on Treforest Campus, is on schedule, and will be welcoming students in 2026.

“The project is a massive undertaking and involves many different construction experts working together to build the specialist facility.

“Over the coming months we will see the building reach its highest point, and then work will continue on completing the external façade and progressing the internal fitout which will ensure Calon provides the best possible experience for students, staff, and our partners, who will be using the impressive facility.”

Below is the groundbreaking ceremony at the Calon site last September, and some of the key staff who were involved in the construction work a year later.

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