NEW £59m facilities for the University of York will open their doors within months, including a new lecture building, sports hall, and laboratory space.

A 350-seat lecture theatre, along with 26 seminar rooms and study areas will make up the £13.8m Spring Lane Learning and Teaching Building, due to open within weeks, while the £16 million Biology teaching and laboratory facility will also be open for the new semester.

In November, a £2.2 million sports hall will open, including a multi-sports court for basketball, netball, badminton, futsal, hockey and volleyball, and work has also started on the Piazza Building on Campus East, which will be home to a 350-seat auditorium, a 350-seat restaurant opposite the lake, 30 classrooms, and a large open-plan area.

Vice-Chancellor Professor Koen Lamberts said the new spaces would create “natural campus hubs”, and allow students to work independently and in teams.

Prof Lamberts said: “Our campus is designed to encourage collaboration and bring students together to share ideas and support each other as they progress through their studies.

“By investing in our campus we aim to provide an environment that students will enjoy living and working in. We have a diverse student community and it is important that our facilities serve their needs and prepare them for successful careers in the future.”

The University’s new International Pathway College (IPC) will also move into the new Piazza Building, which is expected to open in 2018.

The IPC will welcome its first students this term, and provides academic preparation programmes for more than 300 international students looking to progress to degree programmes at York.