Official Inauguration of Anglia Ruskin University’s £32 Million Lab Building

A new £32 million facility has been officially inaugurated at a city university. Named The Lab, this structure is an integral component of Anglia Ruskin University’s (ARU) Peterborough campus, which commenced operations for students in 2022. The building’s construction was finalized in August, and it encompasses a microbiology laboratory, a tissue culture laboratory, engineering workshops, various teaching areas, and the Living Lab – a dedicated space designed for hosting exhibitions and events. Professor Ross Renton, who serves as the principal of ARU Peterborough, stated that The Lab represents “a wonderful addition to the city and our outstanding campus, which has all the facilities needed to meet students’ career goals and ambitions.” The university described its recently completed building as “environmentally friendly, both inside and out.” It further elaborated, “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.” The Lab constitutes the third campus structure to become operational since the university’s establishment. Its opening is expected to enable ARU Peterborough “to offer a much wider range of employment-focused courses, the majority of which are available to start this January.” Undergraduate programs scheduled to commence next month span disciplines from biomedical sciences to business and management, with additional courses accessible at the postgraduate level. ARU Peterborough operates as a collaborative venture involving Anglia Ruskin University, the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority, and Peterborough City Council. Dr. Nik Johnson, the mayor of Cambridgeshire and Peterborough, commented: “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.”