Real Engineers Need Specialist Training Facilities
In January 2024, Nortek Group was awarded the contract to refurbish Engineering Block B at Leicester College. This large-scale refurbishment demanded a substantial volume of Nortek Group’s core engineering and educational workshop furniture, alongside a wide range of bespoke solutions designed to support specialist training applications.
With a six-figure project value, the brief required not only manufacturing capacity at scale, but also the flexibility to adapt engineering workbench designs as the client’s requirements evolved throughout the programme.
This project required close collaboration with lead architect Tim Moss from Moss Architecture Interiors and main contractor Stepnell Ltd. From the outset, the focus was on ensuring that each room met its specific teaching requirements while remaining flexible enough to evolve with future engineering disciplines.
The core purpose of Engineering Block B is to deliver advanced training in Electrical, Mechanical, Robotics, and Hydraulics/Pneumatics engineering. Each space therefore required a carefully tailored furniture and workbench solutions to balance theory-based learning with hands-on practical experience.
The Electrical Engineering room was fitted with a full suite of CBW electronics workbenches, complete with facility frames, overhead lighting, bin storage, and integrated fume extraction trunking. Specialist three-phase & single phase commando style sockets with rotary isolators were incorporated into the Power Trunking, allowing students to safely operate industrial-grade equipment as part of their training.
The Mechanical Engineering classroom was designed primarily as a traditional teaching space, while still supporting practical learning. A run of CBW benches along one wall mirrors the electrical engineering layout, providing flexibility for demonstrations, hands-on tasks, and hybrid teaching approaches.
The highlight of the project for Nortek Group was the Hydraulics and Pneumatics Workshop. Here, we designed and manufactured fully bespoke CBW benches that incorporated hydraulics and pneumatics facility panels by others along with instrument shelves, and louvre bin rails.
This specialist configuration allows students to build, test, and modify hydraulic and pneumatic systems in real time, giving them an unrivalled hands-on learning experience. The benches were purpose-designed to support experimentation, fault finding, and system comparison — key skills for real-world engineering careers.
Robotics & Electronics Learning Spaces
In the Robotics classroom, Millennium Trapezoidal Tables were installed back-to-back to create a supportive and adaptable collaborative learning environment. Along the rear walls, two continuous runs of bespoke CBW electronics benches were installed, connected seamlessly using Nortek Group’s Corner Table solutions to maximise usable perimeter space.
Even the technician’s office benefitted from the same attention to detail, featuring a single-width custom Electronics Bench with integrated fume extraction — ensuring consistency, safety, and practicality across every area of the department including the teaching & support staff.
The main engineering space was equipped with Craftwork 1000 six-person metalworking benches, each specified with 4mm oiled steel worktops and under-bench cupboards. These benches were paired with the industry-standard VS Furniture LuPo stool, a familiar and trusted feature in engineering learning environments across the UK.
General classrooms throughout Engineering Block B were specified with MPDs fitted with Plako castors, alongside Datum chairs supplied by RGE Group, as requested by the client. This combination allows lecturers to reconfigure rooms quickly for different lesson formats, group sizes, and teaching styles.
Inclusivity and accessibility were embedded into the design of Engineering Block B. Every room includes at least one electrically operated Special Needs Variable Height (SNVH) Workstation, ensuring that all students — including wheelchair users and those with additional needs — can fully participate in practical engineering activities.
The refurbishment of Engineering Block B at Leicester College demonstrates Nortek Group’s ability to deliver high-value, technically complex engineering education projects. Through bespoke manufacturing, collaborative project delivery, and a focus on long-term adaptability, the college now benefits from a future-proof training environment designed to support generations of engineers.
If your college or training provider is planning an engineering refurbishment or new-build facility, Nortek Group can deliver a complete, end-to-end solution — from concept and manufacture through to installation and beyond.
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