Warrington & Vale Royal College State-of-the-art-Laboratory

Science classroom prepares students for the world of work

Warrington & Vale Royal College provides vocational courses for students aged 16 and over and is the largest learning provider in Warrington. Following a £27 million redevelopment, the college were looking to introduce a state-of-the-art laboratory to its portfolio.

The Brief

As the demands of education and the workplace are changing, learning environments have a key role to play in preparing students for employment. The college is a major provider of courses including apprenticeships and professional training and were looking to create a laboratory facility to mirror those of a professional workspace.

With high standards of teaching and learning as well as exceptional links with local industries, Warrington & Vale Royal College were looking to bring science back into the college rather than have to outsource laboratory facilities.

The Solution

Innova provided a part- turnkey solution, including design, manufacture and installation, plumbing, electrics, gas works and minor build works, converting a former hair salon into a state-of-the art lab, prep room and store room.

With the need to facilitate both practical and theory lessons, Innova created a laboratory layout with distinct zones to provide a flexible space which accommodates different teaching and learning styles.

A combination of a wing fixed benching layout for practical lessons and reconfigurable loose tables for theory work has left the college with an inspirational, multifunctional space; ensuring tomorrow’s scientists and engineers can start their careers with confidence.

Providing practical and theory spaces on the same work bench, the wing layout offered Warrington & Vale Royal College a flexible learning space ideally suited to modern, collaborative teaching methods.

For non-practical tasks, loose tables were installed along with a teacher wall to house an interactive screen, sliding whiteboard and storage for books and equipment. This layout can easily be reconfigured to suit different teaching and learning styles.

The use of durable, high-quality materials such as Trespa worksurfaces, combined with a contemporary, monochromatic colour scheme and green pastel  coloured feature wall has given science labs a feel which echoes the clean lines of commercial laboratories.