Matthew Boulton's new city centre college opened its doors for the start of term this week. Education Correspondent Shahid Naqvi took a look round the #40 million complex...
Grand sweeping steps lead up to automatic doors at the entrance.
Inside the pastille-coloured spacious foyer there is a row of lifts, a smart reception desk, and a stairway leading up to a plaza area with, among other things, a bistro-bar.
No, we are not inside a new hotel, but a college. Matthew Boulton's new #40 million college in Jennens Road.
To city centre workers the location, on land bought from Aston University adjacent to its campus, has been a landmark building site for the last two years.
This week its doors finally opened and a key part of the Eastside redevelopment jigsaw that will see that part of the city turn into a bustling learning quarter was put in place.
In truth, the hotel feel was slightly spoilt by the hoards of excited students gathered around the entrance area wearing baggy jeans and trainers. But nevertheless, the new college does offer a learning facility the likes of which Birmingham - or indeed any town or city - has not seen before.
There cannot, for instance, be many colleges that include an operating theatre, six doctor surgeries, a job centre, 350-seater performance hall, conference rooms, nursery and fully equipped gym.
For principal Christine Braddock - who took over the college when it was based in its old building in Sherlock Street, Balsall Heath, six years ago and when spiralling debts threatened closure - it marks a personal triumph.
"When I arrived the first instruction I got was to close down the college because it was in a financial mess at the time," she said.
"In the last five years what the college has done is prove itself. It has got rid of its debt and it has doubled its income. We have gone from strength to strength because of the quality of the teaching and learning here.
"With this new building we have made a significant difference for the people of Birmingham. To feel we have cemented its future with a facility like this is a dream come true."
The eight-storey building is the second biggest single spend in further education in the UK.
Each level of the college is designed to cluster specific curriculum areas. All classrooms are equipped with modern IT facilities and staff are issued with mobile computers.
When fully running, some 15,000 full-time and part-time students will study within its 18,000 sq metre confines.
The building boasts some of the most impressive views of the city centre and beyond and its interior decor has been thought out to give it a bright, professional feel.
Walking around, one has the feel of being inside a blue chip company or, at times, even the Starship Enterprise.
"The ambience of a building is crucial to how people treat it and look after it," said Ms Braddock, who enjoys a roofside terrace outside her eighth-floor office.
"We spent a lot of time looking at colour schemes to create an environment that would make people want to be here.
"We do a lot of work with the business and professional sector, so I wanted to ensure that any organisation from KPMG to Eversheds would be comfortable. We probably have some of the best conferencing facilities in the city."
Among the new college's first arrivals this week, the buzz of excitement was palpable as they entered the reception area.
Some of them were returning veterans from the old building, but others were entering college for the first time in a very 21st century learning environment.
Among the flow of human traffic were workmen carrying boxes making final deliveries.
And next week the six GPs, who will treat students as well as people from the local area, move in. The future of Matthew Boulton College looks very healthy indeed.
