Arts University Bournemouth (AUB) in the United Kingdom is celebrating the opening of a new creative facility designed by Sir Peter Cook. The Innovation Studio is the second building on AUB’s campus designed by Cook, after his undulating Drawing Studio was opened in 2016 by Zaha Hadid. Cook himself graduated from AUB in the 1950s.

The new facility will host a range of digital and physical manufacturing technologies, including Large Format Additive Printing, CNC milling, and waterjet cutting, alongside VR/AR technologies such as 3D body scanning and a green screen studio. The university sees the Innovation Studio as a space where students, graduates, university experts, and businesses can collaborate on real-world issues through design.

“The space is a rich vessel for creativity and innovation,” said Cook upon the studio’s opening. “Those creating within these walls will almost certainly working towards solutions to some of mankind’s greatest challenges; from climate change to transport, and connectivity to infrastructure.”

The architectural form of the studio reflects the range of facilities housed inside. Each functional area features a differently-shaped window, while a series of eyelid shutters can be used by groups to signal their desire for privacy or interaction with the outside. In contrast to the monochromatic blocks surrounding it, the new studio conveys a “sunny seaside” aura, with its use of geometry and color forming an architectural mural within the campus.

The two-floor interior also features a top-lit central skylight lantern with a void visually linking the upper and lower levels. The space is anchored by a near-replica of Gunnar Asplund’s iconic clock in the Gothenburg Law Courts, a project which Cook drew inspiration from while a student at the campus. Surrounding the void, bespoke interlocking furniture, screens, and fittings continue the red, orange, and yellow aesthetic of the exterior.

The Innovation Studio was opened by Cook alongside Jane Drew Prize winner Odile Decq. Commenting on the building, Decq said: “Being a successful innovator is about being brave, taking risks, and seeking solutions in the face of the prospect of failure. Technology will continue to play an increasingly pivotal role in shaping the world. All students passing through this institution will equip themselves with the means to take on a host of different issues and problems through their understanding of how ground-breaking technology can alter perceptions of what is possible — both now and in the future.”