Eastleigh College’s innovative buildings, which formed part of its £12 million transformational development, recently won the ‘Innovation in Delivering Value’ Category at the Education Estates Awards last week. The project was also awarded Highly Commended in the ‘Pupil/Student Experience’ section.

The event, which has been running for several years, celebrates the excellence of the design, creation, maintenance and management of education buildings in the industry. The achievement of the innovative campus project was acknowledged by an audience of over 350 top industry professionals, highlighting the new exceptional learning environment for students, which in turn will help better prepare them for a career in their chosen field.

The project formed part of the College’s regeneration scheme which secured funding from the Solent Local Enterprise Partnership (Solent LEP), as part of the Government’s Local Growth Deal investing in training and skills. The investment saw the launch of a new training restaurant and kitchen, modern and elegant training salons for hairdressing, beauty and media make-up, extensive facilities for Art, Design and Media and the Advanced Technology Centre, which was the final phase of the project and was completed last year.

When discussing the development Rupert Cook, Director of Architecture PLB, commented: “From standing start to completion in two years, the project had to deliver on a number of fronts for the college; impact, functionality, sustainability, flexibility, new external spaces and create a shop front. We needed to find new ways to meaningfully address all these but ensuring every part of the design worked hard. It has been rewarding to see the buildings in use, allowing the college to increase its intake and thrive. To also get national recognition for our innovative approach to delivering value is an added bonus, showing high quality design can be achieved to a tight program and budget.”

Jan Edrich, Chief Executive and Principal at Eastleigh College, is delighted with the new facilities, and commented: “It has been amazing to watch the site develop from paper plans to finished buildings. They look and feel exciting, and provide an excellent environment in which the students can learn the high level technical skills required for employment in their industry.”

To find out more about the College’s regeneration programme over the past two years please refer to the articles in our News section or to find out how the porject started  please click here.