Zandra Rhodes opens new teaching facility at Epsom
Acclaimed fashion designer and chancellor of the University for the Creative Arts (UCA) Zandra Rhodes has visited the UCA Epsom campus to cut the ribbon on a new £5.9 million teaching facility.
The official opening took place on 15 February and was attended by the Mayor of Epsom and Ewell, Cllr Sheila Carson.
The new three-storey building provides learning areas for specialist creative disciplines including fashion, digital media, photography and screen printing. It houses a 200-seat auditorium, a new learning resource centre and a digital media centre.
At the ribbon cutting, Zandra said: "The new building will provide fantastic opportunities for our students. It is here that the designers of the future will hone their skills."
The new teaching block was built to stringent environmental standards and is designed to achieve an "Excellent" rating by the Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Method (BREEAM). Photovoltaic cells on the roof and solar water heating ensure at least 20% of renewable energy is generated on site, and rainwater is harvested to flush the building's toilets.
The University for the Creative Arts has campuses in Canterbury, Epsom, Farnham, Maidstone and Rochester and is one of Europe's largest specialist Universities of art, design, architecture, media and communication.
With around 7,000 students studying on a wide range of well-established courses, potential graphic designers' work alongside budding journalists and pioneering fashion designers in a highly creative environment.
For more information contact:
David Reilly, Press Officer, UCA
T: 01252 892939
E: dreilly@ucreative.ac.uk
