The University of Otago's building at the Forsyth Barr Stadium will only be partially completed by next year's Rugby World Cup.
While the exterior would be finished by August, the month before the event starts, the internal fit-out was not expected to be completed until December, university property services stadium project manager Jamie Cargill said yesterday.
That meant the building - which would house a new Unipol student gymnasium and recreation centre, the Foundation Studies language centre and foundation year programme, and a cafe for staff, students and the public - would look finished during the World Cup as interior work continued, he said in a statement.
Naylor Love had been appointed as the main construction contractor, he said.
Construction had begun and piling was almost complete.
The university would not release a tender price, saying it was commercially sensitive.
The university has previously said the building may cost more than $40 million.
There are plans for a second building after the World Cup is over.
David Davies, chief executive of Dunedin Venues Management Ltd which will manage the stadium, said yesterday the fact the building would not be completed internally before the World Cup was "not an issue".
"We are aware of the university's timescale. It is is line with what they have told us."