Stirling Council has approved plans for a £20m (US$25.7m, €22.2m) transformation of the University of Stirling’s sports facilities.

FaulknerBrowns Architects have drawn up plans for an iconic new sports building that integrates with the university's existing world-class facilities, which include national tennis and swimming academies.

The University of Stirling Sports Centre will include purpose-built studios, a fitness suite, a three-court sports hall, indoor cycling studio, strength and conditioning area, as well as a high-performance suite.

Users of the new building will also benefit from enhanced changing facilities and communal spaces.

The main building responds to the site at three levels - the lower story creating a robust base with linkages to the existing swimming academy and sports hall, and the two upper levels establishing a relationship with the street and surroundings.

The double height volume housing the café and social spaces give the building a civic quality which supports its ambition for transparency and inclusivity.

The building’s glazed frontage exposes a central cylindrical drum that acts as a welcoming focal point.

Vertical timber fins – spaced to create a concertina effect – present the illusion of motion.

"This scheme will enhance the student experience by providing new and more visually accessible sporting facilities," said Sherief El-Salamani, project leader at FaulknerBrowns.

"It has been designed as a new gateway building, which will open up the performance, wellbeing and social aspects of the centre to the wider student body and local community."