The £26 million energy-efficient building, which includes teaching spaces and an art gallery, opened in September 2008 and was described as 'the impressive new entry point to the campus'. It was commended as the Best Building using Sustainable Technologies at the 2010 Sheffield Design Awards.
Judges were impressed with the dramatic three-storey atrium, which allows natural daylight to penetrate its heart, and the innovative 'blink glass' frontage which is opaque when dormant and becomes clear when an electrical charge is passed through.