ROOFING, CLADDING & INSULATION
COMBINING HERITAGE AND INNOVATION AT THE SOUTH WEST INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY As the UK targets a high-tech future of world-leading innovation and industrial excellence, we need the skills and knowledge to provide employers with the resources they require to achieve those ambitions. A key part of the Government’s strategy for skill development in digital and engineering disciplines is the establishment of 12 Institutes of Technology (IoTs); collaborative partnerships between FE colleges, universities and employers that focus on education in STEM subjects to offer businesses the skills they need to grow.
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ne of the new IoTs is the South West Institute of Technology (SWIoT), which is based at Exeter College and is partnered by the Universities of Exeter and Plymouth, along with a number of FE colleges in the region and employers including the Met Office, babcock and TDK. The new IoT is located in an existing building on the Exeter College campus, which has been refurbished and extended in a project designed by AWW Architects, and forms the first development in a proposed 15-year masterplan at the college. The building not only needs to attract talented and ambitious students; it also has to articulate the prestige of the IoT and provide a learning and research environment with which corporate partners want to be associated. As a result, the facade chosen for the project had to meet the requirement for a forward-focused, dynamic education environment. However, the contemporary
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building is located within a conservation area and opposite a Grade I Listed church, with other listed heritage buildings in close proximity. As a result, Shackerley’s SureClad Ceramic Granite system was selected in a creamy beige, natural Lopar colourway to offer a clean, contemporary facade that complements the pale stone tones of the surrounding architectural environment. This was used in combination with glazing and copper-coloured panels that create contrast and enhance the building’s contemporary aesthetic. Charles Jordan, Project Director at AWW, explains: “The extension creates a new showpiece entrance to the college and sits in a prominent location on the edge of the campus. The three-storey atrium links the IoT to the existing Hele building with a 40m glazed rooflight to allow natural light into the space and showcase the dynamic curriculum being delivered.
“We needed a facade design and specification that respected the project’s heritage surroundings, while reflecting the focus on technology and the future that sits at the heart of the IoT. We also needed a system that offered buildability and long-term maintenance advantages and the Shackerley SureClad Ceramic Granite system ticked all the boxes on all counts.”
Design highlights The east elevation of the new building is both the front of the development and the new entrance for the college. It has been designed as the gateway to the campus and has an active frontage for pedestrians with a heavily-glazed front elevation at ground-floor level. This elevation tapers towards the entrance from the north and south elevations, drawing the eye to the feature entrance in the centre.
