Located at the meeting point between the City and the University, The University of Portsmouth’s New Academic Building will act as a new front door for the university, bringing together two faculties within 20,000m2 of academic and teaching spaces.

The 13 storey building is designed to serve students across the Faculty of Business and Law and the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences. A careful balance of environmental, economic and social aspirations has been realised in the design to ensure the scheme will be an exemplar sustainable and environmentally responsible building for the University.

Conceived as an inspirational environment, the building is designed to enable innovative working, teaching and learning in diverse and distinct spaces.

Providing some of the largest teaching spaces on campus, the building will house two 250-seat and a 500-seat lecture theatre at the lower levels of the building. Academic workspace is focussed around two triple-height spaces – the Park Room and the City Room – each with a large ocular window with fantastic views out to the park, city and the sea. These naturally lit and ventilated rooms bring the park up through the building and with it, a sense of wellbeing through greenery and openness.  

At ground floor level, a ‘Market Hall’ will be a highly versatile flexible civic space for the University and the City to gather. At roof level, a double-height destination restaurant and roof terrace will be open to the public.

Bringing the two faculties together within one building is expected to have an impact on the University nationally and internationally, enabling it to become a centre for collaboration, creativity, innovation and above all inspiration and interaction.