College rises up on former US base

Work is progressing on schedule for the new £31M shared campus for two Derry/Londonderry schools under construction on the site of the city’s former US military base.

Located in the Waterside area of the city, the campus will house Foyle College and Ebrington Primary School within one large mostly steel-framed structure.

Working on behalf of main contractor Heron Bros., Walter Watson is fabricating, supplying and erecting approximately 1,000t of structural steelwork for the project.

The Foyle College secondary school’s part of the campus consists of two-storey and three-storey elements, as well as a sports hall, kitchen and a dining room. The attached primary school areas of the campus are predominantly constructed with blockwork, with the exception of a large column-free steel-framed dining area.

The site of the campus has a long military history dating back to the Second World War when it was used as a US naval base. After the War it was used by the British military until after The Troubles.