Doors Open at Bideford College Innovative New Eco School Building

The innovative new £54 million Bideford College eco school building in North Devon will open its doors to students for the first time this week.

The new site is capable of accommodating up to 2,036 students and has taken two years to complete coming in on time and within budget.

The

futuristic and innovative environmentally friendly accommodation – which has already won

two national awards for sustainability - has been built on the existing

college site.

College principal, Veronica Matthews, said: “This is a very exciting time for the college and for Bideford as a town.

”The

new college will put Bideford at the forefront nationally, not only of

education, but of sustainable and innovative building design.

“This

building is testament to the commitment and teamwork of a large number

of people to provide Bideford with something very special.

“The

building has been designed with function and simplicity of form as key

principles and the result is excellent, an object of beauty that will

inspire young people for many years to come.

“The facilities that we now have are second to none and we can’t wait to see it in action when the students come back.”

Devon’s

Cabinet Member for Schools and Skills, Christine Channon, said: “I have

been hugely impressed with these wonderful new buildings which will

provide the most marvellous learning environment for Bideford’s students

and the wider community.

“We have seen elsewhere in Devon how

academic achievement is improved by modern classrooms and facilities,

coupled with good leadership and teaching, and I expect Bideford College

to go from strength to strength.

“What has also been so

important about this project is the major boost it has given to the

local economy in North Devon with the great majority of the cost of the

contract being invested in the South West and the creation of over 1,400

jobs.

”And it will be a valuable resource, not only for present

and future students, but for all the communities in the Bideford area.”

All the new teaching spaces are naturally lit and well ventilated in north-facing buildings.

The college boasts a large, six-court sports hall, fitness suite and gymnasium.

The external sports facilities will include a full size, floodlit artificial pitch and netball and tennis courts.

A

grant from the Bridge Trust has enabled the development of a large main

hall - with stage and screen - capable of seating around 350 people. The College will be making all the facilities available for community use.

The new Bideford College has a woodchip biomass boiler as the main heat source with

small-scale micro wind generation delivering electrical energy to a

hi-tech science demonstration area.

A sustainable drainage

system allows the college to capture and recycle a large percentage of

rainwater into high use areas such as toilets.

All the buildings have ‘living roofs’ which are covered with sedum to slow the run off

of rainwater, produce oxygen and create a natural habitat for wildlife.

Bideford South county councillor Alison Boyle said: “I think Bideford College is going to be nationally renowned.

"It is something that we should all be proud of and will benefit the whole community of Bideford.

"The

new college is innovative in its design, purposefully built to inspire

students and create a positive atmosphere and groundbreaking in its

energy initiatives.

“It has already built a reputation of national standing."

The new college was designed by the NPS Group (Exeter) and the main

contractors were Barnstaple-based Morgan Sindall.

NPS

Managing Director, Steve Daw, said, “NPS is privileged to have been

entrusted with designing this exemplary new college and community

facility.”

“The high standard of architectural design and

engineering is a testimony to the skills of the whole team and I am sure

both the pupils and local community will benefit from the learning and

sports facilities provided by this landmark scheme.”

Chris Spear,

Morgan Sindall area director, said: “We’re extremely proud to see this

fantastic new state-of-the-art school open.

“The construction

of Bideford College has truly been a team effort between ourselves, NPS,

Devon County Council, all of our suppliers and of course the staff and

students.

“The project has significantly boosted the local

economy in Bideford and the surrounding areas. Throughout the scheme we

worked with local subcontractors and used local materials wherever

possible to ensure as much benefit of the landmark project was felt by

the local community.

“We’re looking forward to seeing the

reactions of staff and students as they settle into the new building.

We will now get started on phase two which will involve demolishing the

former buildings and landscaping works.”