The Sandra Burslem Building was designed by John McAslan & Partners and they say of it, "JMP's first built project in the north-west, the Sandra Burslem Building has provided MMU with a new public face and repositioned the university within Manchester's Oxford Road education and cultural district.  Housing the University's Law Faculty, this new 65,000 sq ft building incorporates teaching accommodation, lecture spaces and a public gallery in a seven-storey landmark building organised around a dramatic full height atrium."


The building is named after Dame Sandra Burslem, a former Vice-Chancellor of Manchester Metropolitan University from 1997-2005.  Since 1981 Sandra Burslem served as a member of the Bench of Manchester City Magistrates.  In 1992 she was awarded an OBE for services to Higher Education and in 2004 she became a Dame Commander of the British Empire in the New Year Honours List.