NEWS ARCHIVE
New HE Building Officially Opened
Lord Plumb of Coleshill officially opened a new Combined Universities in Cornwall building on 19 September. The building is Duchy College's first dedicated Higher Education space and also the first building for Horticulture in the county, an industry that will benefit from the support of the Combined Universities in Cornwall. Situated at Cornwall College's Duchy College Rosewarne site, the building offers modern teaching facilities for students studying at Higher Education level, specialising in Animal Management, Bird Biology and Horticulture (Landscape, Design & Plantmanship and Commercial Production).
The building has been named 'Rodda' in recognition of the continuing support given by Trevor Rodda, a governor of Duchy College who was instrumental in the establishment of the centre at Rosewarne. Mr Rodda attended the ceremony with members of his family who had travelled from as far a field as South Africa.
Steve Parsons, Principal of Duchy College said "(the building) is a superb asset to both the College and its students". The Rosewarne campus now has over 60 Higher Education students as it enters its third year of providing courses at this level.
Designed to have a low impact on the Rosewarne site, the modern timber frame design features a sweeping curved exterior and blends into the background with copper coloured roof panels. The interior makes excellent use of glass and wood to create an airy open space accommodating classrooms, a laboratory, meeting rooms, offices and a spacious reception area. A common room for the students opens out onto a patio area with a distinctly Mediterranean feel, even more so when the sun decides to shine. Built to an environmentally friendly specification from sustainable resources, the building was nominated by the Cornish Buildings Group: Annual Ward Scheme and entered in the 'New Build/ Educational' section.
