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Posted - 11th January 22

A new training and conference facility unveiled at Warminster Garrison.

A major refurbishment project for Blenheim Hall has recently been completed at Warminster Garrison providing state of the art educational and training facility for the British Army.


The renamed Blenheim Conference Centre at Waterloo Lines, which houses three separate lecture theatres and seven newly created break out rooms has undergone a complete refit and redesign.

This former vehicle garage built just before WW2 has undergone a number of alterations prior to PAC (Project Allenby Connaught), its most notable being its conversion into a training space opened by the Queen in 1969.

An iconic building’s extensive remodelling during 2021 has been delivered by Aspire Defence Services Limited, working with the main contractor Jordan & Faber, specialists in this type of refurbishment.

A great deal of planning was necessary, due to the extent of the refurbishment, to ensure the facility was transformed to become the modern, high quality centre for our military and supporting future defence capability. Every Army officer passes through Blenheim at various stages of their career and this refurbishment will significantly enhance their learning experience.

The range of work that was carried out included:

  • complete rewiring and new lighting;
  • replacement of the heating system, ceilings, lighting flooring, windows and doors;
  • upgrading  washroom facilities;
  • complete internal and external redecoration;
  • refurbished lecture seating;
  • installation of a new PA and fire detection system.

One of the lecture theatres was repurposed into an improved simulator space and state of the art systems to monitor occupancy and adjust ventilation was successfully updated, enhancing delivery of the training courses and educational programmes for Army personnel.

Allan Thomson, Chief Executive of Aspire Defence Limited, said:

“This is our most significant and complex lifecycle project of 2021.  It’s an excellent example of the substantial financial investment being made under our contract to ensure soldiers live, work and train in the best possible environments.”

Allan went on to say ”This facility will support the education and training transformation that the Army are delivering over the next decade.

Much of the refurbishment work, such as the complete ventilation system replacement,  is hidden behind ceilings, but any visitor to the building will be able to see the new spaces and the renamed rooms.  The various lecture theatres have been renamed from old battles to more recent British Army equipments such as Challenger and Centurion. ”

This much improved asset will also become the new home for Aspire Media Services, which provides graphic design and videography services to the Army customer and is currently located in a smaller building elsewhere on the garrison.  Freeing up a building that can now be repurposed and providing spaces suitable for state of the art film and sound labs, video productions, graphics and printing.

 

The Blenheim Conference Centre refurbishment is being carried out by Aspire Defence Services Limited, funded by Aspire Defence Limited under the Project Allenby Connaught (PAC) contract. Under PAC, Aspire Defence builds and maintains modern, high quality facilities on garrisons across Salisbury Plain and at Aldershot on behalf of the Defence Infrastructure Organisation.  PAC is a joint venture between the Defence Infrastructure Organisation and Aspire Defence.

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