Engineering consultancy firm Waldeck has been appointed to work on a £3 million project to create an Elite Athletes' Performance Centre and a four-storey student accommodation block at Loughborough College.

In October the college launched its plans for the exciting new £1 million performance centre for top sportsmen and women aged between 16 and 18 - an age group often overlooked by other sporting programmes in the UK.

The college's existing Gables halls of residence site will be transformed into the state-of-the-art facility which will provide purpose-built accommodation as well as access to top-quality sports coaching and pastoral care for talented youngsters.

The Gables, a local landmark, has housed some of the 16-18 National Volleyball Academy squad.

Waldeck, which has eight offices throughout the east of England and South Yorkshire, including one on Clarendon Street in Nottingham, is also undertaking the civil and structural engineering work for a brand new halls of residence in place of an existing accommodation block on Forest Road.

The new building will consist of 46 one-bedroom apartments and has been designed with future flexibility in mind. The college will have the option of removing the internal walls should it be subject to change of use.

Work is due to start on both projects in September 2011. The Elite Athletes' Performance Centre is scheduled for completion by March 2012 while the halls of residence will be finished in the Spring 2012.

The Japanese 2012 team - one of the biggest competing in the London Olympics - has chosen Loughborough as its training base and their pre-games camp athletes will be based at Loughborough University. It is likely that some Japanese competitors may use the also use the College's facilities.

Waldeck's Associate Director Dan Wright said: "The new Elite Athletes' Performance Centre will strengthen the town's already impressive sporting credentials and will play an important role in the London 2012 Olympics.

"Waldeck has been involved with a number of projects within the education sector recently ranging from small refurbishments through to major new-build facilities and we are keen to gain more work in this field."