University of Gloucestershire, Centre for Active Learning (CeAL) CETL, Cheltenham

Success Factors

What Makes The Space Successful?

There are two key indicators - firstly, the students like it and they are learning effectively from it, and secondly the staff like it and are learning from it.

User evaluation also indicates that it is working technically and the ease of use is one of the reasons that students like it - a huge understanding of technology is not required to use it.

Help is always at hand as some undergraduate students have been employed as 'learning mentors'; they roam the building at peak usage times in their team t-shirts asking students if they need any technical or procedural assistance (for example, how to engage in group work more effectively).

What Is Innovative About The Design And The Use Of The Space?

The architects were a practice from Bath called Feilden, Clegg and Bradley, who specialise in educational buildings. This building was designed by the senior partner, Peter Clegg. He said that in his experience it was one of the most innovative philosophies that he had come across. He was much more used to designing formal teaching spaces such as lecture theatres, so the informality and the social learning element was relatively new to him. The philosophy at the time of the design was innovative, if not unique; there are one or two other buildings in the UK that have gone down the same route.

Because it is an historic campus it takes a long time to get planning permission so the team actually had to start thinking about this some time ago; however it remains relatively innovative in terms of it being a social learning space with subtle IT support. Technology is very important in the CeAL but it is not in your face, it is more in the background.

The structure of the actual building is quite innovative too. It is a steel framed building and as it is quite close to mature trees it has innovative foundations, it looks new/different but does conform to planning regulations. The older Victorian part of the campus has ivy covered Gothic styled buildings with tall pointed windows, turrets and battlements, limestone block walls which are a yellowy colour, with a dark red tiled roof. The new building uses the same colours and has the same limestone on the ground floor. The upper floor has a pre-patinated copper colour the same colour and pitch as the roof of the older buildings. It has modern columns and windows mimicking the older buildings. The copper will age with time. The building won an award from the Cheltenham Civic Society for the best new building in Cheltenham in 2006-07. Thought-provoking quotations are painted on the walls in some places, which people like - quirky things!