Working alongside the in-house project team at the University of Essex, we supplied the specification for the newly transformed teaching facilities at the Colchester Campus.

The University was looking to accommodate its steadily expanding student population; refurbishing its existing spaces to create new seminar rooms, a cutting edge media centre and a state-of-the-art IT area.

In a stunning piece of engineering, a previously obsolete boiler room was renovated into new seminar space. We procured breakout furniture from Allemiur’s Pause, Jaks, atnd Pebbles ranges to create bright, quirky and informal meeting points which maximise movement and enable the free-flow of academic ideas.

Seminar rooms were equipped with Allemuir FlipTop tables and Boss Mars Chairs. With over six hundred students moving in and out of the rooms on a daily basis these modular options allow the user to easily reconfigure the space, creating unique classroom dynamics to promote forward-thinking teaching techniques.

To accommodate the extensive cabling of the media suite’s technical equipment we had a selection of bespoke desking created for the area. All cabling is concealed in the undercarriage of the desks providing a hi-tec, clutter free environment whilst remaining accessible for IT maintenance.

Daisy Cluster desks were installed in the Physics Department to produce an inviting and modern learning environment for computer based teaching. The distinctive design is both playful and functional, breaking away from the concept of the traditional classroom whilst facilitating exciting cooperative study.

Completed in Summer 2012, the University of Essex was very pleased with Hunters’ ability to create a space that reflects the university’s commitment to modern and progressive learning.

Colchester Campus Purcell Architects