£35million RMJM designed campus plans revealed
The Newcastle College Group has revealed its plans for a new £35 million campus for Skelmersdale and Ormskirk College in West Lancashire, designed by UK based international architects RMJM.
A vision for Skelmersdale was launched in 2005 by designer Wayne Hemingway and the new campus is a key part of the wider regeneration of the 1960’s new town, which is located between Liverpool and Manchester.
The 12,500 sq m college, which merged with Newcastle College in August 2007, will provide state-of-the-art facilities for up to 4,000 students. This will include professional real-life working environments, from hairdressing salons to digital recording studios, which will also be available for community use, generating valuable revenue for the college.
RMJM Director Paul Rodgers said:
“Our proposals for Skelmersdale & Ormskirk College will provide a wholly sustainable campus at an environmental, social and economic level. The college will form a major component of the town’s renaissance and as well as its education function it will serve as a much needed social hub that can be enjoyed by students, staff and the local community.”
At the heart of the college will be an atrium space, which will provide a multi-storey social and learning hub containing a variety of informal spaces for students to engage with the learning process outside of the traditional classroom. Construction is due to start in March 2009 and the college is scheduled to open in September 2010.
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