Wirral Met College by Glenn Howells Architects

Just down the road from me is the new Wirral Met College on Wirral Waters. It’s been there a year now and there’s a few things I really like. First up is the design. It reminds me of Icelandic architecture. I like the big windows so people can see in and out. Turns out there’s a reason for this. It’s so people passing can understand the use of the building and also invite people in. The idea is that you can see people learning a skill and maybe think you could try it too. Clever. On the flip side it the view inspires the students. They’ll see the area develop over time and how the skills they’re learning can be put to real world use. Again, clever.

Last thing I like is that there’s nothing obscuring the view. No railings. No health and safety. There’s no railings in Amsterdam by the canals and there’s bars by the water. Turns out its not as big as an issue as you think. So they left the view uncluttered. I like that.

We went on a tour and they said that inside everything is left exposed. This is so that while the students are learning about buildings the teacher can actually point to a working example right above them. It’s good stuff.

Nice architecture. Inspiring and educating while also fitting in with the area. Hopefully the start of good things to come with Wirral Waters.