In 2004 Brent Council approved a mixed use masterplan by Buro Happold for the development of 55 acres (223,000 m²) adjacent to the stadium which was presented by Quintain Estates and Development plc.
Built by contractors Laing O'Rourke to a design by Foster and Partners and Buro Happold, the academy's construction began in June 2005, and it opened to students in September 2007.
Leaving Arup in 1976 after Arup refused to allow him to start an office in Bath, he became professor of Architecture and Engineering Design at the University of Bath and founded Buro Happold with seven colleagues.
Participants come from some of the world's leading architectural and engineering practices (such as Arup, Buro Happold, Foster + Partners, Grimshaw Architects and KPF) and educational institutions (including MIT, Architectural Association, The Bartlett, University of Bath and Delft University of Technology).