Fairwater Community Campus' Cantonian High School Successful Handover
- CMB Engineering
- 3 hours ago
- 2 min read
We are delighted to announce that BESL (CMB Engineering's parent company) have successfully handed over the next phase of the Fairwater Community Campus development, with Cantonian High School now complete. This marks the second major milestone in this landmark project, following the successful handover of the Health & Wellbeing Block (COPA) in August of last year.
This milestone highlights a unique and transformative project for the City of Cardiff, setting a new benchmark in educational design. On completion, the campus will form part of the largest educational facility in Wales.
The approximately 12,000 m² campus has been designed to accommodate up to 1,450 pupils and 200 staff, delivering a modern, inclusive, and future-ready learning environment. Facilities include a dedicated Additional Learning Needs (ALN) department, specialist teaching spaces, performance and arts facilities, sixth form areas, and high-quality shared and community-use spaces.
Key amenities include:
33 general classrooms and eight science laboratories with a demonstration space.
Design & Technology suites, vocational kitchen, and community café
Art, music, drama, and performing arts studios, including recording and practice spaces.
Library, main hall, and central atrium ‘commons’ space
Extensive staff facilities, roof terraces, landscaped external areas, and a dining space for over 400 pupils.
3 roof terraces, a courtyard garden and 300 m² of plant space.
BESL (CMB Engineering’s parent company), together with its supply chain partners, has successfully delivered on its commitments to Cardiff Council as part of this £110 Million investment, reinforcing the shared ambition to provide exceptional educational infrastructure for the city.
Looking ahead, BESL aims to complete the next and final phases in 2026, including the ALN schools Woodlands and Riverbank, and the final Phase 3 decant and sports pitches, bringing the entire Cantonian campus project to full completion.
This milestone represents a major step forward in creating a transformative education campus that will serve pupils, staff, and the wider Cardiff community for generations to come.
Bertie Borley, BESL Operations Director, commented:
“It has been a fantastic team effort by all parties to get this important phase over the line. I would like to give a special thank you to the BESL team and all of our subcontractors and the supply chain for really pulling together to achieve this goal.
The punctual completion of Cantonian High School has now cleared the way to finish the final phase of this amazing project and we look forward to seeing this new building be occupied by students and staff alike, in the coming days.”
Get a glimpse into the handed over building now by watching the video below.
