Gilbert-Ash completes new Language Centre at FCO Whitehall

Thursday 16th January 2014

Gilbert-Ash has completed a prestigious contract worth £5.75 million at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office's Grade 1 listed building (FCO) in Whitehall, London. The company worked on the refurbishment and fit-out of the Language Centre, which encompasses 40 classrooms and space to train up to 1,000 full and part-time language students each year in 80 different languages from Arabic to Zulu.

The Language Centre is also the main training centre used by the diplomatic corps to provide language training to its staff. The Language Centre is one of over 30 projects worldwide that Gilbert-Ash has successfully completed on behalf of the FCO, in locations including Canberra, Beijing, Moscow, Paris and Tel Aviv.

Gilbert-Ash was the design & build contractor on two projects, that for two years in a row have been nominated for a Royal Institute of British Architect’s Stirling Prize -  The Lyric Theatre and the Giant's Causeway Visitor Centre. Pictured is William Hague who visited the site during the construction phase.