The complex, situated in the grounds of the Grade II listed Tremough House, exploits the challenging topography of the site by minimising visual impact on the historic walled garden of the old house while creating a more open composition of new façades that overlook the Cornish countryside to the south. This means the new Performance Centre sits at ease in its historic environment with new external gardens and courtyards augmenting the existing landscape and providing linkages along the contours of the campus.

Informally arranged around a three-storey gallery, the purpose-built centre provides a contemporary, stimulating, and creative environment offering a wide range of opportunities for chance meeting and exchange, as well as formal and informal spaces for teaching and performing dance, drama and music. The facilities will allow public performances from national companies to supplement the work of the college, helping to integrate the university with the local community and to build for the college a national and international reputation in the performing arts.

The exploitation of the sloping site in the design allowed natural ventilation to deep spaces, the creation of high thermal mass and minimal solar gain, achieving for the building a BREEAM Excellent rating.