The new five-storey 80,000 sq ft building will house the University’s School of Art, Design and Architecture.

It is the latest project in a £260m expansion programme and reunites the design and construction team behind the University’s £28m Oastler Building, delivered by the contractor and AHR Architects.

The Barbara Hepworth Building is the first building on a former industrial site cleared in 2016, now known as the Western Campus.

Erection of the steel frame will start next month, with installation of pre-cast concrete wall planks following closely behind.

It involves constructing a striking flying cantilever reaching out from the plinth of the building to the nearby canal. The project is expected to finish by the autumn of 2019.