The five to seven-storey teaching block gained full planning last week subject to detailed submissions on materials and external finishes.

The project features a striking 18m wide and 80m long atrium that will link the new teaching block to existing campus buildings.

Beneath the atrium there will be a suspended ‘pod’ with a viewing platform above and a series of underground lecture theatres, one of them arranged in an oval ‘Harvard’ style.

The new structure is the first phase of a bigger campus expansion scheme that will see a new sports and sports science complex and a landscaped plaza.

Ian Pratt, Associate at Scott Brownrigg, says, “Our design for the new teaching building and the wider campus redevelopment will transform the student experience, creating vibrant social spaces that encourage interdisciplinary learning, collaboration and enterprise.

“The new facilities will increase interaction with the wider business community by offering spaces that can be used for conferencing and public events.”