Showcasing the quality and diversity of architectural design for the higher education sector in the UK

Distinction by Design:RIBA Higher EducationDesign Quality Forum2007

Distinction by Design:RIBA Higher Education Design Quality Forum 2007

Distinction by Design is the fourth in a series of exhibitions promoted by the Higher Education Design Forum(HEDQF) over the last 12 years toshowcase the quality and diversity ofarchitectural design in the UK’s highereducation sector.

Universities and architects were invited tonominate buildings or landscape projectscompleted since the previous exhibitionin Summer 2002. The aim of the judgeswas to select a rich mix of workcompleted by a wide range of architectsthroughout the UK. Almost 100nominations were reviewed, of which 36were selected for inclusion in the touringexhibition and accompanying catalogue.

The need to rationalise outdated estatesand maintain the UK’s position at theforefront of international research in anincreasingly competitive market hasresulted in a remarkable blossoming ofuniversity buildings. These buildings arepart of a continuing tradition in highereducation of encouraging innovation andpromoting sustainability, and they reflectclients’ focus on pro-active estatemanagement and planning.

Notable from the submissions was thewealth of projects within the laboratory/research sector, reflecting the focus ofinvestment. In contrast, there was a lackof quality schemes within the studenthousing sector. Another theme to emergewas the key role universities clearly havein shaping cities, often acting as a catalystfor regeneration of the urbanenvironment.

This exhibition aims to provide a basis for responding to the complex demandscreated by emerging issues in the highereducation sector, from increasing studentnumbers to new methods of teaching and the potential for linkages to the wider community.

More information about the selected projects is available atwww.architecture.com/clientforums/hedqfwhich, combined with information from previous exhibitions, provides a valuable reference resource of thehigher education buildings completedduring a period of intense activity in the sector.

Judging panel members:

Professor Roy Newton, Formerly HEDQF chair and Pro Vice Chancellor of Wolverhampton University

Roger Hawkins, Hawkins\BrownArchitects and CABE enabler

Jeremy Till, Head of School ofArchitecture at Sheffield University

Paul Fletcher, Fletcher Architects and RIBA Client Design Advisor

Peter Kerr, Director of Estates at Herriot Watt University

Exhibition sponsored by

The Higher Education Design Quality Forum(HEDQF) is a unique partnership between highereducation clients and design professionals. Its aim is to improve the performance of higher educationbuildings and estates.

Higher education institutions make a substantialcontribution to the UK economy. In 2004/05 thesector’s turnover was just under £18 billion. Overtwo million students took full or part-time courses,including 300,000 from outside the UK. (Source:Higher Education in Facts and Figures, UniversitiesUK, London, 2006.)

The last decade has seen substantial, and muchneeded, investment in new and refurbishedbuildings to support the work of the sector. Inmaking this investment, university institutions haverecognised that the quality of architecture, theenvironment and landscaping plays an importantrole in attracting and retaining staff and students and providing a stimulating environment in whichscholarship can flourish.

A recent CABE report, Design with Distinction: The Value of Good Building Design in HigherEducation (March 2005), highlighted the tangible and significant benefits provided by high-quality,well-designed campuses and buildings. CABE found, for example, that 60 per cent of students and staff considered that the quality of building

design had a positive impact on their decision to study or work at their chosen institution. This was particularly high for academic staff (65 per cent) and for postgraduate students (72 per cent).

The individual needs of academic institutions and the influences of the outside world are changing at an increasing pace, and the future will bringconsiderable new challenges. What will be theimpact of student fees and of greater internationalcompetition, with new universities being built inmany developing countries? What will be the impact of the impending revolution in informationtechnology? How does higher education estateachieve greater financial and environmentalsustainability? What is a zero-carbon university?What will be the impact on the estate ofstrengthening links between universities and their business, cultural and social partners?

The Forum is indebted to the ongoing support of the RIBA and the enthusiasm of its Members, and looks forward debating these demanding and exciting issues with clients and designprofessionals as it seeks to provide guidance and highlight best practice.

Ian CaldwellChairman, HEDQF

The Higher Education Design Quality Forum

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Opus One, Anglia Ruskin Universityclient Bishop Hall Properties Ltdarchitect Hawkins\Brownnet cost £6m area 5,000m2 completion 01/05working within a masterplancivic presence of universitypassive energy conservation

Opus One is the first stage of a wider CampusDevelopment Plan for the University. The project is an extension comprising a two-storey renderedblock containing student centre facilities interlockingwith a four-storey, timber-clad block of teaching andadministration space for a new music department. All elements of the extension are linked by a doubleheight top-lit ‘street’, forming the social heart of the building. At the front of the campus, this streetcontinues through the existing building and out into East Road – forming a new glazed entrance with a dramatic canopy that projects the University’spresence on to the street.

The form of the building is deliberately simple inresponse to the site and existing buildings. An insituconcrete frame provides thermal mass to helpmaintain a steady temperature in the building.

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Aston Business Schoolclient Aston Business Schoolarchitect Architects Design Partnershipnet cost £15.2m area 8,662m2 completion 01/06integration of old and newprovision of public open spacemixed use

Two new blocks arranged in an ‘L’ shape sit next to an original building by Sir Basil Spence, creating a new courtyard that has the effect of re-orientatingthe School. The scheme is an integral component ofthe revitalisation of the Aston Triangle precinct, andrepresents the School’s vision of building facilitiesthat are among the best in Europe.

The building incorporates two new stepped-floorlecture theatres, flexible syndicate space, a commonroom area with bar, postgraduate study areas,academic offices, restaurant, conference rooms, and 80 hotel-style bedrooms.

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English Institute of Sportclient University of Batharchitect David Morley Architectsnet cost £18m area 21,500m2 completion 06/04specialist facilitypromoting community links

The construction of the Sports Training village at the University of Bath has been transformational, bothin its presence on campus and in its impact on theUniversity's already significant sporting pedigree.

The Village has been recognised as one of theleading elite sports training facilities in the UK. It has also been instrumental in helping the Universitygenerate a wide ranging community sport andrecreation programme involving schools, collegesand local clubs from across the West Country.

The organisation of spaces around a central gallery,giving a clear view of many of the activities on offer, has helped to enthuse first time visitors andestablished athletes alike, encouraging participationregardless of skill levels or previous experience.

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The Wolfson Centreclient University of Birminghamarchitect Architects Design Partnershipnet cost £8.6m area 4,855m2 (+ 220m2 refurb)completion 10/05lecture theatreintegration with existing campus

Optimising the slope, rake and form of a lecturetheatre large enough to take the projected annualintake of 450 students resulted in a space curved in three dimensions. A glazed facade allows theunderside of the birch-clad egg-shaped theatre to be visible from outside the building.

The box-like enclosure houses all the supportfacilities that the School previously lacked including a 300-seat food court, a 150-seat social space andcyber café, and additional toilets. A new circulationroute was established along the back of the existingMedical School and more break-out space wascreated, enabling easier movement round thebuilding. The lecture theatre is the first structure in an overall circulation strategy, plugging into the new ‘backbone’ corridor.

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Henry Wellcome Building forBiomolecular NMR Spetroscopyclient University of Birminghamarchitect Berman Guedes Strettonnet cost £2.58m area 980m2 completion 08/04design for specialist scientific researchenergy offsettingpassive energy conservation

The challenge for the design team was how toresolve the complex technical issues associated with this facility’s highly sensitive Nuclear MagneticResonance (NMR) magnets. The magnets are locatedin spectroscopy chambers and require temperaturesto be controlled at between plus and minus 0.5°C. In addition, the structure and fabric of the chambersneeded to minimise vibration while using only non-ferrous construction materials capable of clear-spanning 13 metres (the diameter of the largestspectrometer’s magnetic field). The solution involvedsupporting insitu concrete roofs on dense, load-bearing masonry walls, which also increased thebuilding’s thermal mass.

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University of Bristol Masterplanclient University of Bristolarchitect Feilden Clegg Bradley Architectsnet cost £150m area 50,000m2

10–15 year strategic masterplanworking within a conservation areastatutory and non-statutory consultation

This strategic masterplan for the University of Bristolfocuses on the Central Precinct area – a prominentsite on the Bristol skyline. The area is historicallysensitive, covering four conservation areas andincluding a number of significant listed buildings.

The brief was to produce a vision that wouldaccommodate expansion of the University andconsolidation of the site over 10–15 years. Thescheme includes provision of 50,000m2 of new build,including a learning and resource centre, studentunion, teaching accommodation and recreationfacilities on demanding sites across the precinct.

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Brunel University Libraryclient Brunel Universityarchitect Rivington Street Studionet cost £6.3m area 5,300m2 (new build) 1,500m2 (refurbishment)completion 12/04passive energy conservationintegration within existing campus

Brunel library sits in the geographical and socialheart of the University’s Uxbridge Campus and islinked to existing buildings. As well as traditionallibrary functions, it provides a café, a ‘one-stop shop’for student services, a cash office, an assistedtechnology centre and teaching rooms.

The new building consists of two large offsetrectangles separated by a core and an atrium.Careful handling of a fair-faced insitu concrete framehas resulted in a smooth and sculpted soffit, whichalso provides thermal mass as part of the building’senvironmental strategy. Ventilation is assisted by a vertical stack effect that draws air across thefloorplates using louvres mounted at the top of theatrium. Natural ventilation is used wherever roomfunction allows.

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Mary Seacole Buildingclient Brunel Universityarchitect YRM Architectsnet cost £9.3m area 4,200m2 completion 06/06passive energy conservationclear articulation of functionsinterdisciplinary exchange

This new building for the School of Health and SocialSciences responds to the constraints of its prominent‘gateway’ site at the eastern entrance to the campus.The building accommodates training and academicfacilities for physiotherapy, occupational therapy and social care departments.

The building’s insitu concrete frame enablesexposed concrete soffits in the main academic andsupport spaces, providing thermal mass. Warm air isdrawn out of the occupied spaces by means of high-level glazed vents in the atrium. Air is then extractedthrough a roof level pavilion. This natural ventilationstrategy has resulted in reduced running costs andreduced carbon footprint for the building.

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New Postgraduate Housingclient Churchill College, Cambridgearchitect Cottrell and Vermeulen Architecturenet cost £1.65m completion 10/02area 1,100m2 (building) 2,450m2 (landscape)historic contextlife-cycle costing of materialspassive energy conservation

Responding to a brief to provide 30 new studentrooms, the architect proposed three houses with tenrooms each in order to keep both the buildings andtheir individual communities at a scale appropriate to the context.

The forms and materials of the buildings areinfluenced by the sharp, simple concrete forms ofthe original college building, and the tiled roof of the neighbouring Baillie Scott House. Materials werechosen for long life-cycle costing, and the hardwoodwindows came from a sustainable source. Energyuse was minimised by employing gas-firedcondensing boilers, fluorescent lighting anddischarge lamps.

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New North Courtclient Jesus College, Cambridgearchitect Avanti Architectsnet cost £5.655m area 3,340m2 completion 09/05working with listed buildingsprogramming of construction to academic yearout-of-term facilities

North Court was built in 1963–65 to the designs ofDavid Roberts and Geoffrey Clarke, and providedthe earliest post-war new residential accommodationfor Jesus College. It was Grade II listed in 1993.

With rising expectations of student accommodation,demand for out-of-term and summer conferencefacilities, new Disability Discrimination Actrequirements and an increasing need for repair, the College decided to carry out a comprehensiverefurbishment and upgrading scheme. The projectinvolved not only major repairs and replacement of the building’s fabric and services, but also thereconfiguration of support accommodation toprovide improved facilities.

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Faculty of Educationclient University of Cambridge architect Building Design Partnershipnet cost £9.5m area 5,000m2 completion 01/05sustainable buildinghistoric contextfaculty library

The design concept uses a natural wrap of lawn and tree groupings to form a relaxed relationshipbetween faculties, a Georgian villa and a rekindledgarden. An enclosed ‘social street’ winds east to west through the garden from the entrance lawn. The library is placed alongside the lawn at the edgeof the trees to receive glare free north light, whilstalong the south side flexible teaching, seminar roomsand office space form a structured back-drop toneighbouring Homerton College.

Winner of the David Urwin Award 2006 for mostsustainable building in the city of Cambridge, thefaculty is naturally ventilated except in areas wherean adequate airflow cannot be created withoutmechanical assistance.

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Leverhulme Centre for HumanEvolutionary Studiesclient University of Cambridgearchitect Sheppard Robsonnet cost £3.75m area 1,444m2 completion 11/05working in a conservation areapromoting informal exchange

The Leverhulme Centre for Human EvolutionaryStudies is an elegant brick and glass structure thatresponds sensitively to the context of Cambridge’sCentral Conservation Area. The building isconceived as three elements; to the front thebuilding’s proportions reflect its historic context, at its heart is a fully glazed block, whilst the the back of the building is scaled to provide maximumaccommodation and servicing infrastructure.

The light and transparent glazed core provides the main connections between the centre’s variousfunctions. It allows for ease of movement throughoutthe building and promotes formal and informalinteraction among researchers.

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West Cambridge Residencesclient University of Cambridgearchitect MJP Architectsnet cost £21.3m area 11,881m2 completion 09/04working within a masterplanresidential accommodation at urban density

MJP Architects prepared the masterplan for theUniversity’s expansion at West Cambridge on a 66hectare site. The practice was then commissioned to design two groups of residences.

The three buildings of the South Residences are cladin zinc, providing character to their location adjacentto academic and research buildings. 144 flats areaccommodated in four-storey wings that enclose a landscaped courtyard.

The North Residences provide 62 new two- andthree-bedroom flats for university staff and post-doctorate students and a nursery for 84 children. The buildings are clad with vertical cedar boarding,sitting on a ribbed stone-like plinth.

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University College for the Creative Artsclient University College for the Creative Arts, Canterburyarchitect Rivington Street Studionet cost £4.2m area 6,973m2 completion 04/04working with existing buildingsspatial rationalisation

The project involved recladding, refurbishing andextending existing buildings as well as therationalisation of functions and circulation throughoutthe site. Two new lecture theatres, a seminar room, a learning resource centre, and a gallery and caféwere integrated into the College, and a new point of entrance was established. Unused open space was enclosed to provide generous corridor spacesthat link the new facilities and double as galleryspace for College shows.

The design acknowledges the aesthetic of theoriginal campus while seeking to create a moreeffective, usable and lively academic environment.Complex phasing of construction work was required to deliver the project over the course of an academic year.

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The Central School of Speech and Dramaclient The Central School of Speech and Dramaarchitect Jestico + Whilesnet cost £4.4m area 2,134m2 completion 09/05civic presence of Schoolextension of existing buildinginterdisciplinary exchange

The building’s form is a simple, elemental expressionof the programme, articulated in response to thecontext. Small and medium teaching spaces aregrouped together and stacked separately from largeperformance spaces. The different functions arecontained in two distinctly coloured rendered boxes,aligned to adjacent site boundaries, with circulationand ancillary areas filling the residual spacesbetween.

Zinc cladding wraps and frames the rendered boxcontaining the large performance spaces and formsa canopy to the front entrance, bringing the materialof the neighbouring theatres’ flytowers down toground level. Engineering bricks offset the reflectivelightness of the zinc and glass and provide a suitablyrobust interface with the street.

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Sir James Black Centreclient University of Dundeearchitect Boswell Mitchell & Johnstonnet cost £15m area 7,700m2 completion 10/05layout fostering interactionpassive energy conservationworking within masterplan framework

The project provides high-quality medical researchfacilities in a layout that promotes a sense ofcommunity and encourages the exchange of ideas,knowledge and skills. It provides high levels ofenergy efficiency and sustainability in both itsconstruction and operation by employing principlesof passive energy conservation such as absorptioncooling and natural ventilation. Floor plates areplanned on a flexible basis to accommodate theneeds of current users while anticipating futurechange with minimal alteration.

The building is designed in line with the University’smasterplan for future development and provides asecure environment that addresses the context oftown and campus.

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Central Library Extension + Refurbishmentclient University of East Angliaarchitect Shepheard Epstein Hunternet cost £4.5m area(new) 1,850m2 completion 01/05extension of existing buildingrefurbishment of existing fabricinterdisciplinary exchange

The original library by Denys Lasdun was conceivedin ‘strata’ with two middle floors, accessed from a raised walkway, providing reception andadministration space sandwiched between floors of bookshelves and reader seating.

This extension, which is the first phase of a 7,500m2

development, reflects Lasdun’s composition with anew 24-hour IT centre occupying the two middlefloors. The facades of the extension reinterpret themonumental rhythm and proportions of the existingpre-cast concrete building in a different form ofconstruction.

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Student Residencesclient University of East Angliaarchitect LSI Architectsnet cost £11m (phase 1) area 9,275m2 (phase 1)28,185m2 (total) completion 08/05working within a masterplanaccessible accommodation

The two buildings represent the first phase of anoverall Eastern Development Masterplan beingundertaken by the University. Together the buildingsprovide 401 new student study bedrooms withensuite facilities. Units are approximately 12m2 andare configured horizontally in groups of eight andtwelve to encourage social interaction aroundcommunal kitchen and dining spaces. Horizontalconfiguration means that the residences can easilyintegrate the new BS 8300 accessibility requirementsand specialist facilities for a variety of physicaldisabilities.

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The Saltire Centreclient Glasgow Caledonian Universityarchitect Building Design Partnershipnet cost £16m area 10,500m2 completion 01/06integration with existing campuslandscaped public spacecivic presence of university

The Saltire Centre is the largest single projectproposed within the BDP-designed campus plan for the University, providing a facility that defines thelatest thinking in higher educational environments.Stimulating, flexible learning space extends on to south-facing rooftop gardens over two levels,providing much needed landscaped civic space in a dense city centre context. The Centre knits the campus together by providing multi-level linksbetween existing buildings within a six-storey south-facing atrium, which acts as an environmental bufferfor the main learning accommodation housed to the north.

When illuminated at night, the colour choreographedfloors of the building project the University to theoutside world as a beacon for learning.

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de Havilland Campusclient University of Hertfordshirearchitect RMJM Architectsnet cost £33.5m area 22,500m2 completion 09/03promoting links with the communityintegration with commercial development

RMJM developed a masterplan for a new campus to incorporate academic teaching space, a learningresource centre, sports facilities, student residences,a multi-purpose auditorium and associated car-parking, and landscaping. The first phase ofdevelopment, £33.5m of academic accommodation,was procured through a development agreementwith a commercial developer.

A vital aspect of the masterplan was to ensure clear and legible links between the new campus and adjacent developments, as well as to theUniversity’s existing campus. Academic teachingspace for the Business School and Humanities,Languages and Education faculties is provided onflexible floorplates. A Learning Resource Centre,providing 24-hour study space for 1,100 students, is located at the entrance to the new campus.

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School of Architectureclient University of Lincolnarchitect Rick Mather Architectsnet cost £7.9m area 7,760m2 completion 10/03working in context of masterplancivic presence of universityhistoric context

The School of Architecture is the first completedbuilding of Rick Mather Architects’ Brayford Campusmasterplan for the University of Lincoln. The newbuilding occupies a key site at the southernapproach to the city. Linear form and expressivearticulation of the lecture theatres make a strongsculptural statement, announcing the presence of the University while preserving views to the castle and the cathedral.

Public spaces, including a performance facility, two lecture theatres and café/exhibition space are located at ground and mezzanine levels. The first and second floors house the Media andCommunications department while the School of Architecture is located on the second and third floors.

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Cass Business Schoolclient City Universityarchitect Bennetts Associates Architectsnet cost £23m area 14,700m2 completion 10/02layout fostering interactionflexibility based on commercial principleslow-energy environment

The building forms part of the redevelopment of an entire city block, along with commercialdevelopment to the south. It makes a virtue of itsirregularly shaped plot by creating an intriguingvariety of informal spaces within a curving facadethat also addresses the changes in scale andmateriality of the locality.

Lecture rooms for up to 80 people are combinedwith break-out areas to animate the school as a whole. The building also contains a learningresource centre, café, 200-seat lecture theatre,offices and executive teaching spaces.

The building utilises displacement ventilation,exposed thermal mass and good lighting to deliver an ambitiously low-energy environment.

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The Blizard Buildingclient Barts and the London Queen Mary’s School of Medicine and Dentistryarchitect SMC Alsopnet cost £32.5m area 9,000m2 completion 03/05interdisciplinary exchangecivic presence of the Universitypromoting new ways of working

This new 9,000m2 landmark building incorporatescategory 2 and 3 laboratories with full supportservices, write-up offices, and a 400-seat lecturetheatre. It aims to facilitate improved scientificresearch through collaboration and sharedresources, and provides research disciplines with a united identity whilst allowing flexibility to accommodate their changing needs over time.

To meet the aspiration of collaborative working, alllaboratory spaces are accommodated on a singlefloor located six metres below the street and fillingthe entire site. Above ground, scientists write uptheir research in a glass pavilion, in which aresuspended four large pods that provide a strikingbackdrop to an otherwise normal office environment.

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North Courtyardclient University of London, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicinearchitect Devereux Architectsnet cost £5m area 2,160m2 construction 15 months‘reclaimed’ spaceworking with existing buildings

This project resulted from a wider analysis of theSchool’s main site and long-term development goals,and provides additional research, teaching andpublic spaces for staff, students and visitingorganisations.

A seven-level freestanding extension, set within thecontext of a Grade II listed building, provides newfacilities open to atria on three sides and linked backto existing accommodation by flying bridges. Thecourtyard, previously used as a service and deliverybay, was brought into purposeful use whilst creatinga new and vibrant focal point for the School atground level. The design and constructionmethodology enabled all building works to becarried out whilst keeping existing facilities fullyoperational.

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Manchester Interdisciplinary Biocentreclient University of Manchesterarchitect Anshen + Allennet cost £32.5m area 13,000m2 completion 02/06layout fostering interactioncivic presenceinterdisciplinary exchange

The Biocentre is an interfaculty initiative that forms a key part of the scientific strategy of the Universityof Manchester. The design concept was formulatedto respond to and anticipate challenges identified bythe strategy, and the building is designed to foster aculture in which there are no barriers between theestablished scientific disciplines. It will house morethan 500 scientists in up to 85 research groups.

Laboratories are open-plan and multi-functional, andgenerously proportioned meeting and atrium areaspromote interaction. The five-storey building is splitinto a modular open laboratory block wrapped by a freer formed office/support block. The void spacebetween these two elements forms an atrium, aroundwhich write-up areas, meeting spaces, food service,display areas, lifts and stairs are clustered.

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The Rickett Quadrangleclient Middlesex Universityarchitect BPR Architectsnet cost £13.5m courtyard 1,800m2

total area 11,500m2 completion 09/05working with existing buildings‘reclaimed’ spacestructural innovation

An existing 1930s quadrangle is enclosed by aninnovative predominantly glazed roof supported by a steel frame anchored to new reinforced concretefoundations.

The structural concept stems from an arrangement of four separate bays, each an inverted pyramid withits peak suspended from a free-standing mast. Thedesign for the roof is combined with the opening-upof existing corridors around the quadrangle area tocreate a large space with a cloistered circulationroute. The effect is to reduce the time it takes totravel between teaching spaces, making theuniversity operationally more efficient. The newspace is flexible to suit its various functions –reception, performance area and location of student services.

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Northern Institute of Cancer Researchclient University of Newcastlearchitect FaulknerBrowns Architectsnet cost £8m area 3,342m2 completion 01/04open-plan research spaceworking within conservation areapassive energy conservation

This facility is the first of a proposed ‘medical village’ and is set around a collegiate courtyardwhich anchors it within a sensitive conservation area. The building provides laboratory andacademic workspace for world-class biomedicalresearch teams.

The move from cellular and highly specific space to large multi-user laboratories, open-plan officesand hot desking involved significant cultural changefor the research teams. But these innovations haveassisted the integration of research teams, as well as achieving spatial efficiencies that far exceed classstandards and addressing issues of space utilisation.

Post-occupancy evaluation has indicated very high levels of overall satisfaction.

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Senior Common Roomclient St Johns College, Oxfordarchitect MJP Architectsarea 90m2 completion 07/04working with a listed buildingdesigning for accessibility

This sensitive project extends an existing seniorcommon room building, which is Grade 1 listed and dates from 1676.

Reading as a garden pavilion, the extension allowsthe natural environment of the garden to reach intothe building, rather than encroaching upon it. Frominside, the dialogue established with the surroundinggardens invests the space with a contemplativequality.

The project also involved remodelling spaces withinthe existing building and improving disabled accessto bring the building in line with current accessibilitylegislation.

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The University Libraryclient University of Portsmoutharchitect Penoyre & Prasadnet cost £7.6m area 3,600m2 completion 11/06working with existing buildingsenvironmental innovationresponding to context

This new flagship building extends the originallibrary with vibrant new spaces for learning. Situatedat the edge of the University’s Ravelin Park, it acts asa beacon, welcoming students into its new facilitiesand promoting the library as a central element of the campus.

A three-storey top-lit circulation ‘street’ runs through the heart of the building, providing access to seminar and IT spaces arranged around alandscaped courtyard and to the turnstiles and issuedesks of the library. Bridges span the internal streetto link new library spaces to the old.

The library incorporates strategies for reducingenergy use and environmental impact including an assisted natural ventilation system, heat recoveryand rainwater harvesting.

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Digby Stuart Collegeclient Roehampton Universityarchitect Sheppard Robsonnet cost £6m area 4,450m2 completion 09/04working within a masterplanresponding to context

Digby Stuart’s new student residences constitute thefirst part of a major masterplan for the college whilstproviding a gateway building to the heart of theexisting campus.

The student residences occupy a sliver of groundbetween the college’s idyllic upper lawn and thecongested Roehampton Road. The transitionarynature of the site defined the building’s concept;student bedrooms are located on the quiet gardenside of the building whilst circulation space andcommunal facilities face the busy road. This duality is further developed by the building’s claddingstrategy, with zinc and timber panelling to the lawnelevation and, in contrast, a series of rainscreen andglass clad towers to the Roehampton Road facade.

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John Anderson Campus Development Plan 2007client University of Strathclydearchitect Page\Park Architectsstrategic masterplanintegration of city and university

A key strategy of the University is to reconnect intothe evolving city around it. This 15-year masterplanaims to reinforce the heart of the campus by buildingup the density of academic and supporting uses,whilst creating clear connecting routes through it. It also aims to clearly signal routes into the campuswith the integration of engaging ground floor usesinto redevelopment. The University will work in collaboration with city authorities to improvestreetscapes at the campus edge and linkages to adjacent city developments.

The project is based on the premise that theUniversity is an integral part of the community it serves and, as such, is attractive to both studentsand investment. Its ambition is to create a distinctivecampus centre, but also to blur the boundariesbetween the city and the University.

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Rottenrow Gardensclient University of Strathclydearchitect Gross Max Landscape Architectsnet cost £0.75m area 10,000m2

completion 09/03garden as campus centrepiececondensed nature at the heart of the city

Strathclyde University made a visionary decision tocreate a garden at the core of its learning institutionand, for once, a building was demolished to makeway for a landscape.

The design concept is based on a terraced garden,allowing a variety of uses. The terraces act asbelvedere, overlooking the garden and city beyond.The garden is the hub for a network of routes thatcross the site and connect university buildings withinthe campus. Terraces, pergola, retaining walls andsteps are juxtaposed in a playful composition. Thecentral core of the garden is formed by a wide flightof steps that bridges an eight-metre level difference,and which also acts as an informal seating area.

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Development Plan and Learning Gridclient University of Warwickarchitect MJP Architectsnet cost £1m area 1,350m2

completion 10/04 (Learning Grid)promoting new ways of learninginterdisciplinary exchangewider masterplan context

Open 24 hours a day, seven days a week, thisexperimental learning environment is designed topromote collaboration and creativity while blendingtraditional and technological resources. The LearningGrid has proved a catalyst for change in the way thewider curriculum is delivered at the University. It hasintroduced undergraduates to research-basedlearning,embedded the development of transferableand professional skills and allowed students tobenefit from integrating and applying a range oftechnologies.

The project was delivered as part of a widerstrategic development plan for the University’sestate, which provides a framework for futureexpansion.

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Millennium City Buildingclient University of Wolverhamptonarchitect RMJM Architectsnet cost £13m area 11,000m2 completion 09/02working within a masterplansite of strategic importance

The Millennium Building follows a strategicmasterplan for the University’s estate that identifiedthe need for new, flexible teaching areas along withsocial space to create a focus for the city-centrecampus. The building forms the first phase of aprogramme of development.

The building occupies a key site located on thecorner of the campus, which provided theopportunity to make an important visual connectionbetween the University and the city. The buildingcomprises a series of teaching and academicsupport spaces set around a central volumecontaining a lecture theatre and three-storey flexibleexhibition space for the School of Art and Design.Social spaces, including a café equipped withwireless IT, are located at ground level.

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Bioscience Facilityclient University of Yorkarchitect Anshen + Allennet cost £20m area 15,000m2 completion 03flexibility for expansionintegration of old and newshop window for facility

This new laboratory building is combined with the refurbishment of existing premises to createlaboratories and support facilities for cancer,biomedical and botanical research.

The scheme integrates the new building with theexisting facility and allows for unhindered furtherexpansion. Laboratories are designed on a flexible,modular basis, allowing for the contraction andexpansion of research groups whilst providingfacilities for the majority of laboratory uses. The fullyglazed end walls of the laboratories face the atrium,forming a ‘shop window’ for the facility. Semi open-plan office and write-up spaces encourage bothformal and informal interaction, as do the generictechnology facility that forms the ‘hub’ of the buildingand the atrium space housing social and cateringfacilities.

science

Department of Musicclient University of Yorkarchitect van Heyningen and Haward Architectsnet cost £2m area 7,000m2 completion 04/04specialised music facilityintegration with existing buildingacoustic intervention

This new centre provides a range of specialisedmusic facilities including a 138-seat auditorium with raked seating and adaptable speaker positionssuitable for experimental work, a control room and recording studio as well as spaces for post-production, music technology and research. A small,top-lit art gallery has been slotted into the centralcirculation space, bringing light down three floors to basement level. Acoustic absorbers werespecially developed for the project by vanHeyningen and Haward and Arup Acoustics.

The new building sits within the music faculty’scomplex on a prominent site overlooking a lake at the heart of the university campus. Aesthetically, it reinterprets the architecture of the original MusicDepartment, leading to an unusual composition of glass, vertical sunshades and brickwork.

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