The French contracting giant’s UK arm has beaten shortlisted rival Balfour Beatty to build a five-storey complex, known as the Triangle, covering an area the size of three-and-a-half football pitches.

Earlier this month Bouygues also beat Balfour to secure the UK’s biggest building contract for phase three of the vast Battersea Power Station development.

A spokesman for the client said that John F Hunt had just completed demolition works and Bouygues had now just taken possession of the site to start foundation works.

The Triangle site in Cambridge will provide a new headquarters for Cambridge Assessment and its 3,000 staff.

The 450,000 sq ft complex of linked buildings will also include a courtyard entrance and extensive green and outdoor spaces as well as a 39.1 m tower that will be a landmark when approaching Cambridge from the south of the city.