Located at the Samlesbury Enterprise Zone in Lancashire, at the heart of the region’s aerospace cluster, the ASK training academy represents the single largest investment in skills for the UK’s aerospace sector.

The ASK has 26 classroom facilities and is designed to mirror the latest advanced manufacturing technologies and factory layouts. It incorporates a virtual reality ‘cave’, a composites clean room, and facilities for robotics, 3D printing, electronics, and welding.

Consultation with the client enabled greater detail to be developed around the user’s requirements in response to changes in the initial brief, defining the accommodation requirements and association relationships including architectural and complex building services requirements.

Workshop accommodation has been created to support fabrications, welding and fitting, carbon composite fabrication, machinery, and all avionics and industrial laboratory activities. The facility also includes conferencing and exhibition spaces for hosting events and awareness programmes for schools.

The clean simple lines of the envelope are articulated to correspond with the efficient character of the manufactured components. The form of the new training facility uses simple forms for both the main workshop, teaching area and the smaller hangar.  The location has been maintained adjacent to the main entrance to the Samlesbury Enterprise Zone site to ensure prime visibility to visitors, apprentices and employees.

The project had a tight 18-month construction timeline and was completed on time and within budget, utilising the knowledge and experience of BAE Systems’ training staff to optimise the design and construction process.