Marjorie and Arnold Ziff Building, University of Leeds

Architect	Farrell & Clark
Date Built	2008
Location	Beech Grove Terrace
Description
The architects say that the brief for this commission was, "... for a state of the art building to amalgamate a number of the student administration functions under one roof. The main influences on the design have come from the site itself. The dynamic form of the curved spine wall links the development to the existing Social Sciences building and follows the line of the service road which forms the southern boundary of the site. .... .... The spine wall functions both as an architectural form, unifying the disparate functions of the brief which are organised horizontally, and as a physical means of achieving the servicing requirements of the complex brief." The university named the building after a local couple who, through their charitable foundation, have been important supporters of the university saying that, "... It is fitting that such an iconic building, standing alongside landmarks like the Parkinson Building and Brotherton Library, should be made possible by an act of philanthropy which echoes the significance of those early 20th century donations. We are tremendously grateful to the Ziff family for their continuing interest and generosity to the University." The University's website explains that, ".... The new £15m six-storey building will consolidate key student administrative services under one roof, bringing into one place, functions currently carried out at six separate locations across the University, providing a 'one-stop shop' to offer improved and integrated support to students. .... ..... Its light, airy foyer will offer an open and welcoming environment - and it will stay open late, allowing part-time and continuing-education students to be taught in an accessible, secure environment as part of the 'evening campus initiative' to make better use of the University facilities later in the day ..... ..... The Marjorie and Arnold Ziff Building will also provide a quality suite of offices for the University's senior management team and include a new meeting room for council, bringing the executive and governing bodies together on one site."