UK construction firm Willmott Dixon has secured a £13.4m contract from the University of Kent to build the new School of Economics building.

This is the second contract that the company has had with the university. It completed construction of the Sibson Building in 2016.

Willmott Dixon’s southern home counties managing director Roger Forsdyke said: “We are delighted to be working once again with the University of Kent, we’ll be bringing our experience of higher education and working in live environments on major hub projects to ensure we create a centrepiece that will provide an excellent learning environment for many generations to come.”

“Construction on the new Economics Building is set to begin this month in the north-western part of the campus.”

The three-storey building will house the School of Economics and provide improved facilities such as an IT suite, classrooms and social spaces.

Construction on the new Economics Building is set to begin this month in the north-western part of the campus, where the recently demolished Kent Research & Development Centre (KRDC) was located.

The building is planned to be operational for the academic year 2019-20. It will complete the circle of buildings that include Sibson and the old Kent Business School Building.

Construction of the Sibson Building was completed to facilitate the Kent Business School and the School of Mathematics, Statistics and Actuarial Science. It has given the university an 8,000m² central hub for academics, students, researchers and administrative staff.

Established in 1852, Willmott Dixon is a privately owned contracting business with construction projects across the nation.