INGENUITY shown by students at City of Oxford College on a new roundabout design has been praised by the fifth-biggest construction firm in the world.

Over the past 12 weeks, students at the college’s Blackbird Leys campus have been challenged to come up with designs for Skanska for a new roundabout junction in Harwell.

The winning team, ‘Magic Roundabout’, will have their proposals considered as part of final plans for the development, which could start as early as February 2017.

Skanska strategic manager John Murray said: “The students have worked hard to produce high-quality designs in a very short time.

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“The thing that swung it was that the winning team gave a lot of thought to sustainability in terms of the impact on the environment, what kinds of materials they would use and solar power for energy supply. They had also considered a fourth arm of the roundabout design so it was ‘future-proofed’ for any potential development.”

Over the 12 weeks the students, divided into two teams, studied existing conditions on the site and looked at traffic data.

They also had to explain if any additional land was required and consider ‘non-motorised’ users such as cyclists and pedestrians.

Mr Murray said designs were for a prospective new entrance to the Harwell Science and Innovation Campus, adding: “This is a site that will grow over time and create more jobs. The current arrangement with a T-junction will be insufficient to cater for the traffic.

“We have provided Oxfordshire County Council with an initial design and if this parcel of land is developed there will be a planning application.”

The current junction sees about 1,000 cars travel towards the A34 Chilton bypass in peak periods, with 92 vehicles turning north to south into the Harwell Campus.

A total of 19 students studying construction at the college took part. Level 3 Construction and the Built Environment student Jonathan Stimpson said: “The project was very beneficial in that it contributed towards a vast amount of assignments we have been working on this year.

“It was great to work as part of a team and utilise other people’s strengths to work towards completion of the project.”

The project is the first in a number of “live” work briefs with partner employers that will be set by City of Oxford College over the course of the next year.

In September its new £8m Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths (STEM) centre will open in Cuddesdon Way, offering a host of new courses and apprenticeships.

An open event for students and families to find out more about the STEM centre will be held on March 9 from 4pm to 7.30pm.