Construction on the new 18,000sq m Campus, which will be built on the Craigie Estate, next to the River Ayr, is planned to start in September by Bovis Lend Lease UK.

Planned and designed by leading Scottish-based architects RMJM, the development will see the Scottish Agricultural College (SAC) joining UWS on the site. Shared facilities will include a general teaching space, gym, refectory, library, lecture theatre, drama studio and computing labs.

The new campus in Ayr, which is part of the University’s £260m development programme and replaces its existing campus on the edge of the Craigie Estate, will create an innovative learning environment for over 4000 students, including students from the nearby Scottish Agricultural College at Auchincruive.

RMJM’s design for the academic facility is focused around a series of external ‘garden classrooms’ which flow into the new building to create the entrance courtyard, a central atrium and a more private library courtyard space. The campus also incorporates the grade A listed Craigie House.

The new campus, which has been developed in consultation with the Natural Garden Society, Historic Scotland, Scottish Natural Heritage and the Scottish Wildlife Trust, will provide Ayrshire with one of the UK’s most modern, environmentally friendly and sustainable Higher Education learning environments and will also provide a beautiful setting for public access and use of the Craigie estate.

Sitting on the banks of the River Ayr, the new building is designed to the highest environmental rating – BREEAM excellent – adopting sustainable strategies including rainwater harvesting and on-site power generation through sustainable sources.

Professor Seamus McDaid, Principal and Vice Chancellor of the University of the West of Scotland, said: “We are delighted that our exciting Ayr Campus development has received the full support of South Ayrshire Council and that we are now one step closer to the creation of this unique campus facility."