The Duke of Gloucester has given his royal seal of approval to two new buildings at Truro College.

The White Building will be a new centre for art and design, and the Seaton Building is a facility for automotive, construction and engineering. Before officially opening the buildings the Duke received a tour of both, meeting staff and students from the motor vehicle workshops as well as two and three dimensional art and design students.

The White Building has large teaching studio spaces, a central atrium reaching from the ground floor through to the top of the building, a social area with display spaces and a large gallery. This has allowed the rapidly expanding science and technology department to fill the space left in the existing Mylor Building.

The Seaton Building has a large, covered courtyard and workshops with motor vehicle bays where students are able to learn building and maintenance skills to prepare for work in the motor industry, construction and engineering.

The college said it was responding to a growing interest in these subject areas and the demand for engineers in the UK. The original £10 million White and Seaton Buildings project, which was funded by the college itself, received an additional boost in January when a Skills Funding Agency grant allowed extra workshops and facilities to be added to the Seaton Building.

David Walrond, principal of Truro and Penwith College, said: “We are delighted to be able to welcome His Royal Highness to the college to mark this latest big step forward in its development. His particular interest in architecture and automotive engineering were much in evidence in his conversations with staff and students and he clearly shared their great appreciation and enjoyment of the new facilities.”