A sympathetically designed addition to the hilltop site, which still retains historic buildings dating back to the 1880s, this new purpose-built learning facility will act as a central hub for all academic and research activities and student support services. It incorporates a 230-seat lecture theatre, ten teaching rooms, balcony social learning and chill-out spaces, not to mention 2,500m2 of high quality teaching accommodation.

With students asked to play a key role in the final choice of furniture and fittings for the £9 million project, the University turned to us, as the leading provider of specialist seating solutions, to design, manufacture and install fixed tiered seating for the lecture theatre with a total of 230 seats. The theatre featured a rise per row of 360mm to provide excellent sightlines from all seats and generous row spacing for each student of 925mm. With the tiered structure located on top of the plant room at the rear, the air is ducted through the plenum underneath the tiering and ejected through grilles located in the structure’s riser.

In keeping with the spacious and light and airy feel of the building, the University specified the more upmarket LT6 chair, with its appearance further enhanced by polished plywood panels to the seats and backs. The fabric for the chairs is part of the Camira Fabrics X2 range and calls upon four different colours as well as a fly detail for additional aesthetic appeal.

The overall result for Cumbria University is a lecture theatre with a degree of comfort, practicality and style.