Austin-Smith:Lord was appointed to design a new Student Services Centre for the University of Wales Trinity Saint David at their Lampeter Campus. The 1180sqm Student Services Centre occupies an existing 1970’s building, which has been stripped back to the structural frame and completely remodelled to provide a dramatic new building in a highly prominent position facing the Grade II* listed St David’s College. The client’s brief asked for a new facility that would create a highly visible and identifiable building to act as a focus for students and visitors, and to promote links between the University and the adjacent town and community of which it is such a significant part. An early decision was taken to re-use the existing Canterbury building in order to minimise waste and re-use the existing structural frame. This approach also ensured that the new facility retained the footprint and scale of the existing building, which was important in the sensitive context of the listed St David’s College building and the location within a conservation area. A number of design options were explored in order to achieve the transformation desired by the University, with the preferred design comprising of an asymmetric pitched roof and first floor clad in red pigmented zinc with feature projecting bay windows. The materials were chosen to compliment the setting, and also included an off-white render, cast bath stone window surrounds and plinth course. To promote greater access and legibility, the ground floor features a large reception and foyer area with full height curtain wall glazing giving views out towards the historic College building. The building scheme provides a sustainable solution for development on the campus, working with existing buildings in order to improve their performance in use and realise significant savings in energy usage.