White panels made from perforated metal create a feeling of "light and airiness" at this digital-technology education centre, completed by London studio Coffey Architects for City College Norwich in Norfolk.
The 2,877-square-metre Digi-Tech Factory brings together the college's technology, engineering and design courses in one building, with robotics labs, digital studios, classrooms and support spaces.
Coffey Architects has created a centre for digital technology at City College Norwich
In the spirit of industrial design, Coffey Architects used off-the-shelf components for the building, including an exposed steel frame, composite panels and glass surrounded by a perforated aluminium shell.
The aluminium shell, which is raised one storey on steel columns and set away from the building's thermal envelope, defines a covered external plaza and terraces around the building. The Digi-Tech Factory is wrapped in perforated metal panels
The terraces lead into a large atrium, which is lit by skylights in the building's sawtooth roof.
Around the atrium are Digi-Tech Factory's teaching spaces, which look out at the surrounding campus through windows that break up the perforated screen. Some windows are covered by panels to create a play of light and shadow in the day and silhouettes at night.
Its aluminium shell overhangs outdoor terraces
"Light manipulation is a central principle of [our] design practice, often explored, as here, through the use of an external screen...