Seven soldiers will be tried at Bulford military court near Salisbury in two weeks鈥� time

Bucknall Austin has overseen the construction of a military court that will soon hear a case involving soldiers in Iraq.

The consultant project managed the 拢3.8m Bulford Military Court Centre, near Salisbury, Wiltshire, which will be used to try seven servicemen accused of inhumanely treating civilians in Iraq.

The court was designed by a team appointed by Bucknall Austin, including Hemmingway Architects, and was built by Mansell.

Bucknall Austin鈥檚 Ian Cummings, a on the scheme, said: 鈥淚t鈥檚 the first permanently sited military court ever on the UK mainland. It鈥檚 completed to a very high specification on sound and environment. Privacy was very important because courts martial are closed proceedings.

鈥淲e have also installed high-spec video conferencing because, although the defendants will be present at the trial, witnesses are often serving on foreign soil.鈥�

In two weeks鈥� time Colonel Jorge Mendonca and six other servicemen will face a court martial over their conduct during their tour of duty in Iraq, which was finished in July.

Three of the men, including Mendonca, face war crimes charges after an Iraqi detainee died in custody in September 2003. The man, a 26-year-old hotel receptionist, was arrested during a raid when he was at work. Two of the servicemen face abuse charges, the other has been charged with manslaughter.

The four other men face charges after claims that an Iraqi man drowned in a canal after he was beaten by them.

Bucknall Austin has recently secured a contract with Land Securities to act as employer鈥檚 agent and quantity surveyor on the refurbishment of the former Home Office headquarters.