Exeter College Technology Centre

Location
Exeter, Devon
Client
Exeter College
Value
£8.5m
Completion
2012
BREEAM Rating
'Excellent'

An economical BREEAM “excellent” college

This is an £8.5m technology centre which provides workshops, laboratories and teaching spaces for around 300 automotive, aerospace and engineering students. Ages start at 14 and go all the way through to university-level courses and dedicated employer training. The development follows talks with the city and county councils and other economic training and funding bodies over many months, and accommodates the College’s expanding Technology Faculty, housed in separate facilities across the city.

Stride Treglown was appointed to develop the new academy, which includes administrative facilities for Exeter College, on a greenfield site on the outskirts of the city. The project delivers naturally ventilated and day-lit classrooms for £1,250 per square metre and state-of-the-art automotive workshops for £950 per square metre; providing outstanding value for money, whilst still achieving a BREEAM ‘Excellent’ rating.


The new automotive and engineering buildings to Exeter College, have benefitted from some vibrant exterior and interior wall graphics to describe the various activities in each of the workshops.

Stride Treglown’s graphic design team created line illustrations influenced from the style of the Haynes vehicle manuals, to mark the body shop, light vehicle, diagnostics and CAD, machine and MOT workshops. The new wall graphics were then applied via stencils and white spray paint to the orange and green painted exterior walls.

Inside, the workshops are enlivened with a range of simple, large format vector images in single colour that include cogs, engine parts, gear stick, spark plugs and wrenches. These are positioned within the acoustic panel sections of the interior walls and complement the overall interior scheme.