The new Piazza Learning Centre will house teaching facilities and learning spaces, as part of a £27m scheme on the campus.

It is Interserve’s second project with the University of York and will feature 36 flexible learning spaces, including two laboratories, a 350-seat auditorium, a 100-seat lecture theatre, large restaurant and offices spread across 70,000 sq ft.

The new building will be used by the University’s International Pathway College, as well as providing additional teaching space for Campus East.

The International Pathway College, a joint venture between the University of York and Kaplan, provides academic preparation programmes for international students prior to them progressing to their undergraduate and postgraduate studies within the University.

Dr Matthew Perry, Director of the International Pathway College (IPC), said: “This will be a fantastic teaching and learning space for staff and students and is indicative of the scale of ambition at the University of York and our confidence in the IPC’s ability to attract students from all over the world.  We’re already looking forward to moving in.”

Work starts this week on site with groundworks starting next month. Interserve hopes to achieve a BREEAM ‘Very Good’ rating for the project.