Callywith College wins education project of the year at property awards

Callywith College has been celebrated at the 2018 Michelmores Property Awards winning the Education Project of the Year award. The prestigious building awards, running for the 16th year, recognise and celebrate outstanding South West property and construction projects across ten categories.

In awarding Callywith College top prize, judges commended the ‘exceptional’ project and praised the significant investment it has brought into Bodmin. They also recognised the ‘transformative effect’ it will have on generations of young people in Cornwall.

Callywith College was built by Kier and designed by St Ives-based architects Poynton Bradbury Wynter Cole. The project includes three large, modern and light buildings that provide state-of-the-art facilities for up to 1,280 students and a state-of-the-art 3G sports pitch, which gives students an exciting and vibrant learning environment.

As well as use by college students, the facilities are already well-used by the local community.

Callywith College Principal Mark Wardle, who collected the award on behalf of the College team at a glittering event at the University of Exeter, hosted by comedian and actor Josh Widdecombe, said: “I am delighted that Callywith College was awarded Education Project of the Year for 2018. The vision of Truro and Penwith College governors, senior managers and staff was to deliver outstanding post 16 education to learners in north and east Cornwall and the fantastic campus is the result.

“Our first ever students have been so excited to learn in the state-of-the-art facilities and the college will change the lives of many Cornish young people. The project team should be very proud of the contribution they have made to education in Cornwall.”

Judging the award, Will Mumford, Associate Director at locatED, commented: "This was a significant investment in education in an area of Cornwall that has been overlooked for many years. The quality of the offering to the students is exceptional, and creating a whole campus from nothing is amazing. Callywith College raises the aspirations of the area, and will have a positive effect on generations to come."

Kier Operations Director Brian Rice added: "We are extremely proud to take home the award for Education Project of the Year in the 2018 Michelmores Property Awards for Callywith College. The success of the development and the student sign-up rate for the academic year 2017-2018 speaks volumes for the positive impact it’s had on students continuing further education and providing top of the range facilities for the local community."

Director at architects Poynton Bradbury Wynter Cole, Cian Spowart, said the project was special for several reasons:

“Callywith College is a fantastic new education facility and part of an ongoing collaborative relationship with Truro and Penwith College to support the provision of high standard flexible teaching spaces,” he said.

“The project integrated Building Information Modelling (BIM) and VR technology into the design, a new addition to the process from previous projects and we are pleased that this helped the College to communicate the plans to the prospective students at a much earlier stage and get their support.

“For Cornwall and its young adults this project offers a continuation of the high standard education facilities provided at Truro and Penwith. There is a real buzz about the first year students and staff at Callywith who have taken ownership of the buildings. For us as designers, their ability to start shaping the spaces that have been created to reflect how they want to learn makes Callywith a very special place.”

As well as winning the Education Project of the Year category it was also shortlisted in the overall Building of the Year award.