Derby College announced plans for the new Joseph Wright Centre in 2003, and construction was complete in 2005. The £12 million facility is located in the city centre, and can accommodate 1,500 students.

Colt provided a smoke clearance system with the vent areas sized at 10% of the floor area, with Seefire natural louvred ventilators at roof level to provide both day to day and smoke ventilation.

Coltlite natural glazed ventilators have also been installed at low level, linked into the Building Management System (BMS) to provide natural ventilation on a day to day basis. The BMS integrates all of the heating, air conditioning, ventilation, alarms, etc. throughout the building.