POSTED: 10 APRIL 2017
The Passive House Association is delighted to announce that formal Planning Permission has been granted to South West College (Enniskillen) for the development of a new College Campus on the site of the old Erne Hospital. This £24.6 million investment will create a modern college, filled with cutting-edge technology and a capacity for 7000 full-time and part-time students.
The ambitious plans will see SWC achieve a major advancement for the Northern Ireland Construction Industry, by developing a new building of this scale to an environmental and energy standard entitled Passive House Premium. When complete, the new Campus will probably be the first non-domestic building to achieve this status globally, ranking it with prestigious buildings such as the Apple Campus 2 in terms of innovation and design. As noted by Joe Martin, Chairman SWC Governing Body, “It is significant that SWC has targeted a globally leading design in terms of sustainability standards and cutting edge technology as it builds new relationships across Europe, China, USA, India and Canada.”
Many SWC staff have travelled to some of the most modern and innovative educational campuses in the world to ensure their ideas incorporated into the new building are informed. They have enjoyed the experience of working with the Project Team, led by Hamilton Architects, and were strongly supported by representatives of the Department for the Economy and the Education & Training Inspectorate.
The Erne campus, which is expected to open in 2019, sets a higher standard of excellence and modernity, both for the building and the educational sectors. As declared by Carol Viney, Enniskillen Campus Manager, “at South West College, within a futuristic building, we are planning classrooms of the future”.
