The work to create the new Horizon 120 Business and Innovation Park just off the A131 in Great Notley is taking shape.
Braintree District Council representatives and partners met with Kier to examine the progress to date.
Since construction work started in May, the ground has been levelled and the foundations to the building put in place. The steel frame is also in place.
If work continues as planned, completion is expected by summer 2022.
The £14.7 million project is being paid for in part by the South East Local Enterprise Partnership which has allocated £7 million towards the scheme from the Government’s Getting Building Fund. The £7.7 million balance is being paid by Braintree District Council.
The enterprise and innovation centre, designed for start-ups and small businesses, could create up to 150 jobs a year.
When complete, the three-storey complex will offer shared meeting rooms, flexible work spaces, conference and training facilities and offices for smaller businesses to grow.
The site will include an event space and a café or restaurant with a plaza area.
Cllr Kevin Bowers, Cabinet Member for Housing, Assets and Skills at Braintree District Council, said: “Our investment into this innovative centre will increase opportunities for local businesses, create hundreds of quality jobs and generate the momentum needed to help the local economy bounce back from the impacts of this pandemic.
"It will be an asset to the business park and to the local area for many years to come.”
Mark Dady, Managing Director at Kier Regional Building Eastern, said: “We’re extremely pleased to be continuing our relationship with Braintree District Council with the construction of Horizon 120, which follows the ongoing success of our Victoria Square project in the centre of Braintree, due to complete later this year.”
South East Local Enterprise Partnership Chair Christian Brodie said: “We are delighted to see the progress on this project.
"Our Getting Building Fund is aimed at supporting economic growth, post pandemic and this new enterprise centre will provide modern workspace with the amenities needed to cater to a hybrid model of working with quality, contemporary space, which is exactly what is needed.”
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