A former NatWest office block in Bristol is set to be transformed into a dental school, it has been revealed.
The University of Bristol confirmed the move after receiving planning consent for change of use of the building from offices to institutional use.
It said the relocation to 1 Trinity Quay, which previously housed hundreds of bank workers, would provide "future-fit" teaching and research facilities for its students.
Trinity Quay is based in Bristol's Temple Quarter Enterprise Zone, near the university's proposed new Enterprise Campus.
Global design practice BDP carried out a feasibility study to identify the new site for the dental school, which is currently based at the University of Bristol Dental Hospital. It will also be designing the scheme.
Akshay Khera, architecture director at BDP in Bristol, said repurposing an office building posed "some challenges", but also provided "exciting opportunities".
"It will also be a really beneficial addition to this area of town, introducing a vibrant university function along the river and close to Temple Meads," he said.
Mr Khera said among the design plans, the 1990s-designed lift walls would be used to provide a "biophilic wall" of living plants in the atrium.
The university also said it was focused on a green travel plan for the building to encourage cycling and use of public transport over driving, with accessible parking spaces only.
Professor Jane Norman, dean of the faculty of health sciences, said the university had been looking for a new home for its dental school for "some time".
"The central location and easy access via public transport were important factors in our decision, ensuring we're well-placed to offer free dental care and oral health to local communities," she said.
According to Ms Norman, research will remain on site at the Dental Hospital, and partnership working between the university and University Hospitals Bristol and Weston NHS Foundation Trust will also continue.
Architects and designers from BDP have worked as part of a multi-disciplinary team including service engineers, structural and civil engineers appointed by the University of Bristol.
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