The building has been designed to house two distinctly separate functions. The first of these is the Innovation Centre which accommodates a number of campus start up companies and provides the link between the Institute and the wider business community. The second element is a Research Centre which is housed in a single storey block behind the main building. The two blocks run parallel to one another and are separated by a landscaped courtyard. A shared reception space and glazed link provides the connection between the two. Taking their cue from the Nursing and Health Science building the facades are a mix of stack bonded engineering brick and self coloured render with the key corner of the building picked out in patinated copper.