FOR the past two years a £89m research centre to accommodate teams of academics working on some of the world's most pressing engineering tasks has been taking shape in a corner of Scotland's largest city.

The striking triangular-shaped building stands nine storeys high on George Street at the edge of Glasgow's Merchant City and is part of the Strathclyde University campus.

Around 400 students and 250 staff are due to move into the Technology and Innovation Centre (TIC) in spring next year when it officially opens.

Construction giant Lend Lease was the contractor for the project which began in April 2012.

Shortly after work began builders faced difficulties as a fifteenth century Franciscan abbey had once stood on the site and the abbey's well made the ground wet.

Dr Steve Graham, executive director of the centre, explained: "There were terrible ground conditions when we were digging down, doing the excavation and laying the foundations. On the north east corner it was continually muddy."

After the setback solutions were found to allow work to continue and the centre is now almost complete.

It contains a conference facility with two auditoriums, more than 100 laboratories as well as a large office space - which includes a central atrium connecting the upper levels of the building beneath a roof-light and a feature staircase linking each level.

The painstaking operation to construct the massive glass, concrete and sandstone building, has been documented in a series of photographs showing key stages of the process.

One early image shows the building's unusual triangular footprint with George Street in the foreground as construction gets underway on the foundations.

In the same image a huge tower can be seen. This is the first of the three 'cores' constructed which contain staircases and elevator shafts allowing access to all levels.

Other photographs chart the construction of the five atom, beam and plasma test cells, deep in the basement of the building. Here scientists will work with high intensity radiation to analyse cloud formations and weather patterns in the atmosphere which may have applications for aviation.

The building's striking features include different coloured metal panels on the front elevation which add interest to the stonework, giving it a contemporary edge.

The centre's roof is covered in solar cells with the potential to generate up to 28 per cent of the building's daily energy needs, while a café and exhibition space on the ground floor will be open to the public.

The idea of reaching out to the world outside academia was the essential thinking behind the centre which was in part funded by private enterprises.

"The cost of driving innovation as independent businesses is becoming hugely expensive so companies are looking to each other, to their supply chains and to universities like Strathclyde to help accelerate that process," said Dr Graham.

"The innovation focus for the building is centred on low carbon technology, on future cities and sustainability, as well as about how resources are managed.

"The projects are all focused on meeting the future needs of society, in Scotland, across the UK and internationally."

The development of new systems which allow energy to be generated from green sources such as off shore wind turbines, as well as work to investigate systems that allow energy to be transported and transmitted more efficiently is among the work that will take place.

First Minister Nicola Sturgeon was given a tour of the building earlier this month (DEC) by Strathclyde University's principal and vice chancellor Professor Sir Jim McDonald.

She said: "Scotland is a land of inventors, innovators, new ideas and creativity. We need a thriving and dynamic ecosystem in order to improve productivity, competitiveness and growth.

"The Technology and Innovation Centre at the University of Strathclyde will create the right environment for academics, business, industry and the public sector to come together to find innovative solutions to the challenges we face."