University's £32m Lab building officially opens

ARU Peterborough said The Lab would help increase skills and boost growth and investment

A new £32m building has been officially opened at a city university.

The Lab forms part of Anglia Ruskin University's (ARU) site in Peterborough, which opened to students in 2022.

The building was completed in August and includes a microbiology lab, a tissue culture lab, engineering workshops, teaching spaces and the Living Lab - a space designed to host exhibits and events.

Prof Ross Renton, principal of ARU Peterborough, said The Lab was "a wonderful addition to the city and our outstanding campus, which has all the facilities needed to meet students' career goals and ambitions".

The official opening included university and council staff, as well as students

The university said its new building was "environmentally friendly, both inside and out".

"It connects to ARU Peterborough's earlier buildings through landscaped gardens, with site-appropriate planting, and is certified 'excellent' by Breeme, the world-recognised standard to measure building sustainability," it said.

The Lab is the third campus building to open since the university launched and would allow ARU Peterborough "to offer a much wider range of employment-focused courses, the majority of which are available to start this January".

Undergraduate courses beginning next month range from biomedical sciences to business and management, with further courses available to study at postgraduate level.

ARU Peterborough is a partnership between Anglia Ruskin University, the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority, and Peterborough City Council.

Dr Nik Johnson, mayor of Cambridgeshire and Peterborough, said: "The opening is another important milestone in the development of ARU Peterborough and will support our mission to inspire current and future generations in science and technology, further unlocking Peterborough's full potential."