The University of Derby has opened its first-ever outdoor learning space, designed to give students a natural and alternative place to study.
They are two balconies, made to an environmentally-friendly design, with timber benches and self-watering “living walls”. Dr Ruth Ayres, the Dean of Learning Enhancement, said the spaces would offer students a “completely different learning space” and an escape from the stress of studying and exams”. There are two zones: one is brightly-coloured, to “spark creativity and group discussion”, while the other is silver and purple, for quiet study and reflection.