Water-supply issues are addressed in the design of a new building at Merton College by collecting rainwater for sanitation and water plants. Formerly opened by Bill Rammell, MP, the minister whose responsibilities include further education and lifelong learning, the building provides students with a library and learning centre with over a hundred computers and 20 000 books and journals, flexible IT-networked teaching spaces, sixth-form centre, IT café and bookshop, science laboratories and special areas for the visual and performing arts. It provides 6000 m2 of floor space.