Today we were very proud to attend the official opening of Erne Campus at South West College at which Gary Bennett’s legacy in sustainable building design was recognised with the launch of the Gary Bennett Scholarship.
The 8,200 m2 state-of-the-art campus opened its doors to students at the beginning of September and can accommodate 800 full-time students, 2,000 part-time students and 120 staff.
The Erne Campus is one of the world’s most sustainable educational buildings, having secured both PassivHaus Premium and BREEAM Outstanding accreditations.
Speaking after performing the official opening, the Minister said: “I am delighted to be able to officially open this fantastic new educational facility for South West College.
“The new complex is a superb example of what we can achieve in Northern Ireland and will provide a high-quality educational environment for learners for many years to come.
“The building has secured world-class sustainability accreditations, the first in the UK to do so, and the college will capitalise on this by delivering a series of innovative and complementary learning and skills programmes, including wind, biomass, sustainable construction, hydrogen, energy storage and sustainable food.”
Chief Executive of South West College Michael McAlister said: “A long-standing vision has been achieved with the opening of this fantastic building which has been designed with the needs of our students, community and industry partners firmly in mind.”
