Wirral Met College hosted the RIBA Great British Buildings event at its Wirral Waters Campus this week.
The College welcomed Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) professionals to view the Wirral Waters Campus in Birkenhead, which won the RIBA North West Regional Award and then the National Award in June 2016. Organised in partnership with RIBA and Peel Holdings Ltd, the evening included presentations by Peel, architects Glenn Howells Architects, Masterplanner Parkinson Inc and landscape architects BCA Landscaping, with tours around the Wirral Waters Campus.
The £11m Wirral Waters Campus was developed by Peel and supported with capital funding from the Skills Funding Agency (SFA) and the Housing & Communities Agency (HCA). The building was designed to be a teaching resource that allows students to see how a building is constructed from concept design to completion, and over 300 students were actively involved in its construction.
Marc Heuston, Architectural Communities Manager at RIBA North West said: “We are delighted that as part of the RIBA Great British Buildings series, guests will be given the opportunity to hear from Glenn Howells Architects and Peel at this RIBA National Award winning building. It was described by judges as a building of high architectural merit, acting as a blueprint for an excellent standard for future phases of Wirral Waters and we look forward to seeing how this project develops.”
Richard Mawdsley, Director of Peel, said: “Creating an attractive new place is at the heart of the Wirral Waters regeneration project. We need to create a place that is desirable. Two vital ingredients are high quality public realm and good architecture. We are pleased that RIBA have recognised this commitment in the design and delivery of the Wirral Met College construction faculty. This project sets the bar for the pipeline of further projects emerging at Wirral Waters that can – in collaboration with the Council and with the right infrastructure in place – be delivered in the immediate short term”.
Sue Higginson, Principal of Wirral Met, said: “We were delighted to welcome local architects to join us at our award winning Wirral Waters Campus. This has to be the best facility in the UK for developing skills in Construction and the Built Environment. The building itself is a huge teaching resource and it allows students to see, first hand, how a building is constructed from concept design to completion, which has been recognised by the national RIBA award.”