Mar 2026 • £8 ALSO IN THIS ISSUE: Hee forum This year’s hee forum is at Warwick University on 7 & 8 May – book now! Glazing West Lothian College aluminium windows have been replaced by energy-efficient, low-maintenance panes Student accommodation Redefining what students can expect from their accommodation From historic school to inspirational college The challenges of integrating modern lighting into a 19th-century landmark highereducationestates
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highereducationestates 3 leader After a great run, PBSA sector may be slowing OUR coverage of new student accommodation schemes on pages 22 and 23 is just one more indication of the complex and challenging funding issues the sector as a whole faces, and within it the mounting pressure on purpose-built student accommodation (PBSA) investors. Thanks to universities’ determined (and essential) courtship of overseas students in the past decade and more, and the vast numbers that flowed from that wooing, PBSA schemes attracted institutional funding at an enormous scale. The number of privately-owned PBSA beds rose from 61,000 in 2004 to 412,000 last year, according to JLL property consultants. Although concerns over immigration were roiling through Britain, PBSA continued to remain a magnet for overseas institutional capital through 2024 and 2025. These flows of capital reflected confidence in long term rental markets, underpinned by lack of supply, to generate competitive risk adjusted returns. But things are changing, and that confidence may soon start to waver. The Government’s decision to shorten graduate visas from two years to 18 months, tighten up sponsorship requirements and propose a 6% levy on international student fees has fuelled uncertainty and made potential investors nervous. So too has the growing affordability crisis facing domestic students in the face of inadequate grants and rocketing rents and loan repayments. Britain’s biggest university accommodation provider, Unite, has seen more than £300m wiped off its value as the student loan crisis starts to grip landlords. Falling numbers of overseas students and more domestic students choosing to live at home rather than rent accommodation are spooking institutional investors. Blue-chip university towns, where student demand - both domestically and from abroad - will remain high, are still hot spots for PBSA investors. As we note in our stories inside, the Torsion Group, recently completed four PBSA schemes for the 2025/26 academic year, delivering 690 beds across Leeds, Coventry, Nottingham and York. In a year marked by sectorwide construction, labour, and occupancy challenges, Torsion delivered all four assets in time for September student move-in. But if overseas student numbers continue to drop, there may be a few quiet years ahead for PBSA construction. Editor Andrew Pring Head of sales Julian Walter Media sales manager Terry Stafford Production Nicola Cann Design Sandra Leal Cid & Gemma England Managing director Toby Filby The publishers do not necessarily agree with views expressed by contributors and cannot accept responsibility for claims made by manufacturers and authors, nor do they accept any responsibility for any errors in the subject matter of this publication. Publishers Stable Publishing Limited, SBC House, Restmor Way, Wallington, Surrey SM6 7AH, England. t. 020 8288 1080 f. 020 8288 1099 e. sales@educationdab.co.uk Illuminating the ancient with the new Zumtobel and its sister brand Thorn have delivered a comprehensive scheme for the €8 million refurbishment of Sacred Heart University’s Dingle campus. Story page 17 Andrew Pring Editor andrew@stable-media.co.uk
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highereducationestates 5 inside this issue March 2026 6 News A project at Pembroke College, Cambridge designed by Haworth Tompkins has won the Education category of the 2025 Brick Development Association Awards. 10 Design Solutions The Stephen A. Schwarzman Centre for the Humanities, designed by Hopkins, provides a spectacular new home for teaching, research, and outreach in Oxford as well as a new cultural venue. 13 Case study How University College London (UCL) used NEC’s collaborative contracts to deliver a major new accommodation and academic facility in the face of the challenges of the pandemic and global supply instability. 16 Project Jade Barker, Associate Director at Drees and Sommer UK, and Glen Moses, Project Director at ADP Architecture, explain how they went about creating a teaching space fit for today’s top tier motorsports industry. 17 Lighting Zumtobel and its sister brand Thorn, both lighting brands of the Zumtobel Group, have delivered a comprehensive scheme for the €8 million refurbishment of Sacred Heart University’s Dingle campus. 18 Glazing Inefficient, outdated aluminium windows on campus at West Lothian College have been replaced in a project coordinated through engineering services firm Ameresco and delivered by JB Glazing Solutions to a tight deadline. 20 PBSA 1 McLaren Property, the residential and student accommodation developer, has appointed McLaren Construction Midlands and North as main contractor for the landmark Upper Brook Street student accommodation development in Manchester. 22 PBSA 2 Located directly on the campus of University of Central Lancashire in Preston, Urban Hub offers a premium alternative to traditional halls of residence. Rightsizing university estates is an opportunity to rethink how campus buildings can better support students and staff by utilising available space more effectively, says Kyle Wright, Business Development Manager at national fit-out contractor Novus Property Solutions. “It’s all about how to best to use existing facilities on campus in alternative ways, thinking outside the box and imagining what the modern university campus will look like to ensure facilities reach their full potential.” P9
A project at Pembroke College, Cambridge has won the Education category of the 2025 Brick Development Association Awards. The architect Haworth Tompkins worked with Cocksedge Building Contractors and the brick supplier Coleford Brick and Tile to deliver part of the most significant expansion of Pembroke College since the fourteenth century, providing a range of public and collegiate spaces within new and existing buildings, in a highly complex site in the historic city centre of Cambridge. The existing site was densely planned, with a highly varied scale and character of predominantly brick-built buildings that reflected the historic evolution of uses from industrial and residential to University functions. In the first Phase of the development, several historically significant brick buildings dating from the 16th to early 20th century have been restored and reconfigured around a new courtyard garden to provide fully accessible teaching, social and administrative spaces for the College. In addition, a listed former Church has been comprehensively refurbished to provide a new flexible auditorium for public, collegiate and University use. Connecting these existing buildings are a series of new-build interventions including: a three-storey brick ‘Gatehouse’ building on Trumpington Street; a timber-frame Foyer building adjacent to the former Church; and the two-storey Schoolhouse built in loadbearing site-salvaged clay brick. The judges described the project as "an exceptionally creative and thoughtful scheme, skilfully blending new and refurbished buildings around engaging courtyards, with imaginative use of materials and clever adaptation of historic features". Pembroke’s brickwork triumphs in BDA Awards Henry Wellcome laboratory refurb completed Stepnell has completed a multi-million pound lab refurbishment at the University of Oxford. The project saw the contractor modernise the specialist molecular physiology and particle imaging laboratories in the Henry Wellcome Building. To avoid contamination with sensitive scientific apparatus including electron microscopes, Stepnell progressed the refurbishment through sectional completion, carefully decanting lab equipment and maintaining access to a series of link rooms with specialist equipment including cryogenics. With delivery taking place across a live and fully operational environment, the project has involved close collaboration with stakeholders, including the Nuffield Department of Medicine, which is the principal client for the project, and the University of Oxford, along with project managers TMD Building Consultancy and MEP consultants etch Associates. Mark Knowlden, senior project manager at Stepnell, said: “As a Wantage based firm, this has been an incredibly significant project for us in supporting refurbishments at one of the world’s most prominent academic and research institutions. Our technical expertise and experience of operating in live site environments has enabled us to deliver a complex refurbishment that will support Nuffield Department of Medicine and the university's continuous pursuit of delivering scientific excellence.” Seventy per cent of Stepnell’s costs on the Henry Wellcome project have been directed to local supply chain businesses within 30 miles, as well as five local employees being hired or retained by Stepnell on the project. Stepnell’s commitment to community engagement also extended to Longworth Primary School, where the team repurposed former laboratory equipment and donated £1,100 of supply chain materials to create a mud kitchen for pupils – in total delivering a 30% social value return on investment. Duncan Rollo, project manager at Nuffield Department of Medicine said: “Over the duration of the project, a positive working relationship was developed between Stepnell, the department, TMD and lab users. This collaborative approach helped deliver to successfully deliver the project including an early handover, which was greatly appreciated by all stakeholders.” 6 highereducationestates news
Building repairs backlog mounts at universities At least nearly 77,000 building maintenance issues remain unresolved across UK universities, according to government data reviewed by commercial property consultants Vail Williams – which warns that the true scale of the backlog could be several times higher. The figure, obtained via Freedom of Information requests to 105 institutions (61 of which responded), reveals an average of over 1,254 outstanding maintenance jobs per university – which range from issues such as leaking roofs and broken boilers to more serious compliance and health and safety issues. Vail Williams suggests the backlog highlights mounting pressure on UK university estates, many of which include historic, complex, and heavily used buildings, and it claims the scale of delayed maintenance is now seen as a threat to teaching, research, and student wellbeing. Christopher Bailey at Vail Williams commented: “This is a staggeringly high number of maintenance requests at UK universities and they are highly unlikely to all be cosmetic issues. Many outstanding repairs at universities typically relate to critical buildings that affect students, staff and even operational safety. What this highlights is that too many universities are likely to be stuck in a cycle of reactive maintenance. With backlogs this large, institutions need to rethink their entire approach. This is where a planned maintenance programme (PMP) could come in, which offers a proactive, longterm strategy to protect complex estates, preserve heritage assets and avoid future disruption.” A PMP includes detailed condition surveys, risk assessments, asset registers and cost forecasting to give estates teams a clear picture of where and when work is needed. It allows universities to spread investment over time, reduce unplanned costs, and ensure compliance with increasingly demanding regulation. “The benefits of a PMP go well beyond fixing buildings. When properly implemented, it supports wider sustainability goals and protects the long-term value of estates - especially those with historic or specialist buildings,” said Bailey. Aston University receives £2.5m from OfS to transform bioscience labs The Office for Students (OfS) has granted £2.5m to Aston University to redevelop its biosciences teaching laboratories. The new laboratories will include stateof-the-art equipment to better prepare students for careers in the NHS and life sciences industry, with training and equipment aligned to employers’ needs. They will support new programmes in bioinformatics, pharmacology and industrial biotechnology, as well as enhancing the student experience in existing programmes such as in biomedical science. The money, from the OfS Capital Grant funding scheme, will pay for specialist equipment to teach clinical diagnostics, genomics and drug discovery. It is part of a new round of funding by the OfS, totalling £88.5m, granted to universities and colleges across England for investment in new buildings, facilities and equipment. The clinical diagnostics equipment at Aston University, which will include a mass spectrometer and machines to analyse DNA and RNA, will support a shift away from isolated practicals toward integrated, diagnostic case-based workflows, mirroring the NHS environment and practice and enhancing readiness for employment. The new genomics equipment will be vital for student projects and practicals in new master’s programmes in bioinformatics and genomic medicine, as well as offering wider opportunities to biosciences and pharmacology students. There will be equipment for genome sequencing, structural variant detection and microbial genomics, to equip students with hands-on experience in genomics workflows currently used in NHS and industry contexts. State-of-the-art equipment for drug discovery will allow students to explore drug action from identifying targets for drugs in cells through gene and protein analysis, screening potential drugs with high-throughput plate readers for efficacy, in vitro and ex vivo testing, and in vivo modelling using Aston’s existing zebrafish facility. highereducationestates 7 news
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Rightsizing university estates Kyle Wright, Business Development Manager at national fit-out contractor Novus Property Solutions explores the need to rightsize university estates to ensure that facilities are aligned with evolving patterns of teaching and learning for the future Many universities in the UK have campus facilities that are not fit for purpose but deemed too expensive to refurbish. Rightsizing university estates is an opportunity to rethink how campus buildings can better support students and staff by utilising available space more effectively. It’s all about how to best to use existing facilities on campus in alternative ways, thinking outside the box and imagining what the modern university campus will look like to ensure facilities reach their full potential. Taking a creative approach and changing the use of a space could provide the solution for universities to futureproof campus facilities, especially within the context of increasing budget restrictions. We’ve worked closely with several universities on rightsizing projects and the first step is undertaking a comprehensive space audit and utilisation study to identify under-used or inefficient estate on campus. This collaborative process gets to the heart of how campus buildings are being used, what challenges their configuration poses, and the current and future needs of students and staff. It’s about providing practical, deliverable solutions for universities, working with the space they already have. As a contractor we take a workshop-led approach to include a range of key stakeholder perspectives with representatives from estates, finance and academics to ensure any changes implemented will benefit all. With budgets limited large-scale refurbishment projects can seem out of reach for universities, but factoring in a phased programme will help to minimise disruption during the works and therefore ensure projects remain on track for delivery within constrained budgets. The biggest trend we’re seeing at the moment is the demand for change-of-use and repurposing projects, for example, converting surplus teaching or administrative space into offices, collaboration areas and student-focused facilities. Versatile spaces designed to support hybrid working and changing patterns of campus use are also becoming a common feature of university project briefs. Universities are often looking to futureproof facilities by incorporating elements into the build which will align with net zero and carbon-reduction targets through smarter use of existing assets. Working alongside our Sustain business service we’re able to embed sustainability into rightsizing refurbishments to create energy-efficient facilities and reduce longterm operational costs. By integrating energy-efficiency measures, such as installing solar PV panels, replacing lighting with LEDs or installing more efficient insulation materials as part of the refurbishment, we can take a whole-lifecost approach, balancing capital spend with operational and maintenance savings. A project we recently completed with the University of York, to refurbish its 16th century Grade II* Listed Heslington Hall building, is the perfect example of rightsizing in action. Today it serves as the university’s administrative base. The project was to modernise its interior while preserving its rich historic character. The refurbishment carried out by the Novus team focused on decarbonisation and the renewing of electrical elements which has helped improve the building’s overall energy efficiency. As a fit-out specialist, we are well placed to work with university estates managers to refurbish and reconfigure campus facilities to meet the needs of today’s staff and students within budget and project programming restrictions. We work collaboratively with universities as a trusted partner, helping estate teams balance affordability, sustainability, staff wellbeing and student experience and making sure their campus facilities are the right size for all concerned. www.novussolutions.co.uk highereducationestates 9 feature
The Schwarzman Centre – Oxford’s latest gift to the humanities The Stephen A. Schwarzman Centre for the Humanities, designed by Hopkins, provides a spectacular new home for teaching, research, and outreach in Oxford as well as a new cultural venue Oxford’s global reputation in the humanities drove the project’s ambition: to enhance models of learning, while embracing environmental and social sustainability and inclusivity. The Centre has been certified as England’s largest Passivhaus scheme and the world’s first Passivhaus Concert Hall. It is Oxford’s first publicly accessible University building, signalling openness to the wider civic community. The brief was shaped through extensive consultation with academics, librarians, students and staff. Previously dispersed across 26 buildings, seven Humanities faculties, seven Bodleian libraries, the Oxford Internet Institute, and a new Institute for Ethics in AI are now united in a central location opposite the Radcliffe Observatory. This physical academic proximity was specifically designed to encourage interdisciplinarity and collaboration. At the heart of this fundamental collaborative drive across both academe and outreach, is the Humanities Cultural Programme, centred on a world-class 500-seat Concert Hall, three other performance venues, and exhibition and film spaces. This creates a virtuous cycle of “research as performance” and “performance as research,” strengthening ties between University and City. The design prioritises openness. The public route through the building avoids conventional barriers to entry and is punctuated by public spaces of differing scale and character. At its centre lies the Great Hall, a four-storey atrium with faculty entrances at its cardinal points, study carrels above, and a domed timberand-glass skylight bringing light into the space. Flexible enough for exhibitions, lectures, performances, or banquets, it resonates with Oxford’s tradition of civic “rooms”, and recalls Hawksmoor’s original vision of a Forum Universitatis. Below, performance spaces cluster around a foyer that doubles as an informal venue. Alongside the concert hall are a 250-seat theatre, black-box experimental space, rehearsal facilities, and music studios. Together, these expand Oxford’s cultural reach, drawing chamber orchestras, which might ordinarily omit Oxford from their itineraries, and enabling diverse artistic expression from opera to electronic performance. Architecturally, the 25,300 sqm building’s scale is modulated by a composition of smaller Clipsham stone and brick blocks, articulated to respond to the highly varied immediate context while still signalling formal entry points. Colonnades, landscaping, and external “rooms” blur the boundary between building and city. Internally, meticulously crafted details, recalling a contemporary response to historic collegiate materiality, balance modern prefabrication techniques with durability, tactility, and gravitas. Advanced modern methods of construction and prefabrication provided both speed and quality. BIM and VR tools ensured precision across the design team, contractor, and supply chain, embedding the golden threads of fire safety, sustainability, and regulatory compliance. The ambitious 25,300 square metre development, designed by the leading British architects Hopkins Architects, is the first of the University’s buildings to purposefully integrate teaching facilities and publicly accessible performance and exhibition spaces. It is not only an exemplary new architectural landmark for Oxford, but also an outstanding example of the highest standards of environmental sustainability, as the largest building in England built to Passivhaus standards. It was in February 2020 that Hopkins Architects won the international competition to design the Schwarzman Centre. Planning permission was approved in March 2022, and the building opened in September last year. The building is arranged around a central atrium, coined 'the Great Hall'. Extending four storeys in height above 10 highereducationestates design solutions
the ground floor, the Great Hall is topped with a central dome. Framed with timber and steel, the dome spans 19 metres in diameter and rises to 7 metres above the building’s roofline. On each floor, the entrances to the Faculties and the Bodleian Humanities Library are arranged at cardinal points. The two storeys beneath the Great Hall are dedicated to the Centre’s 'box-in-box' performance spaces, grouped around a double-height foyer and bar. Each of the four spaces is a significant venue in its own right, but as a suite of spaces they will change the scope of what can be achieved in the advancement of the performing arts, not just within the University but Oxford as a city. The performing spaces include a 500seat triple-height concert hall with a stage for orchestras of up to 60 musicians; a 250-seat theatre; a 100-seat black box lab for experimental performances to accommodate amplified music; and a recital Hall for non-amplified music. The three upper floors house the seven faculties of the Humanities division under one roof for the first time. These include 'English', 'History', 'Linguistics, Philology and Phonetics', 'Medieval and Modern Languages', 'Music', 'Philosophy', and 'Theology and Religion'. The Schwarzman Centre is a major contributor to the University’s ambitions for achieving net zero carbon emissions and a net biodiversity gain by 2035. The building is highly energy efficient, acheiving Passivhaus certification, and will meet the new UK Net Zero Carbon Building Standard limit for space heating demand and operational carbon emissions. On completion, it will be the largest Passivhaus scheme in England and the world’s first Passivhaus concert hall. To achieve the exceptionally high levels of insulation and airtightness required for Passivhaus certification, Hopkins Architects and Laing O’Rourke’s supply chain developed a prefabricated design for the external envelope. This enabled very high levels of quality and low installation tolerances to be achieved. Materials were chosen for their longevity and performance, as much as their visual appearance, reducing the building's relative embodied carbon over its long life. Elements include prefabricated stone and brick-faced precast concrete cladding panels, handset stone with steel framing system (SFS) backing, large format Passivhaus-certified triple glazing and a timber and glass dome. The building achieved a final building airtightness test result of 0.66m3/m2/h @50Pa (0.16ach) and has an average external envelope Uvalue of 0.12W/m2K. The major challenge for achieving Passivhaus and low energy consumption in operation is managing heat loss from the ventilation system whilst providing exceptional air quality for the varying occupancy and use of the building. Individual rooms have variable fresh filtered air flow, controlled based on room CO2 levels and temperature. Air is distributed through a carefully coordinated layout of ceiling mounted ducts from 22 air handling units located in the basement and at roof level. All AHUs have heat recovery via a thermal wheel. For a uniquely complex building, with interfaces between public, private and performance functions and their associated ventilation strategies, the design sets a new benchmark in providing sustainable energy-efficient facilities. These include solar power generation on the roof, very high levels of insulation and fully electric power supply, using heat pumps rather than boilers. www.hopkins.co.uk www.laingorourke.com www.akt-uk.com www.maxfordham.com www.arup.com www.etude.co.uk www.cpcprojectservices.com www.arcadis.com/en-gb highereducationestates 11 design solutions
One Pool Street is the first building on UCL’s new East Campus at the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park in Stratford. UCL let the £100 million project to Vinci Construction under an NEC3 Engineering and Construction Contract (ECC) Option A (priced contract with activity schedule) in March 2019. Turner & Townsend acted as the NEC project manager on the project. The ethos, processes and mechanisms of the NEC contract helped ensure the building was completed on budget and just two months behind the planned completion date despite global challenges. Work began on the project at the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic and delivery was further complicated by the global supply chain issues caused by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. One Pool Street provides 552 student rooms and 4,600 sqm of flexible multifunctional space, including UCL's Urban Room exhibition space, creative studios, workshops, a robotics lab, cinema and cafe. Designed by architect Lifschutz Davidson Sandilands, the 22,000 sqm mixed-use building has two concrete-framed, concrete-panel-clad residential towers of 13 and 17 storeys. A three-storey concreteframed, masonry-panel-clad podium below provides the learning spaces. Extensive use was made of offsite construction, with the external concrete walls being installed in two-room-wide panels complete with windows and internal linings, and offsite-manufactured shower and toilet pods fitted into all student rooms. With construction taking place during the Covid-19 pandemic and the effects of the war in Ukraine, the NEC ECC contract was key to the successful delivery. However, neither of these adverse factors represented a compensation event under ECC Option A. This meant that other elements of the contract’s structure needed to be utilised to maintain the programme goals. Commenting on how the NEC contract helped deal with the challenges, Turner and Townsend director David Mellon said: “The UK Covid-19 measures started during the groundworks in March 2020. The contractor provided NEC early warning notifications about workforce absences, social distancing measures and unavailability of plant, labour and materials. Through collaborative discussion and resolution at risk reduction meetings, we managed to keep on programme until October 2021.” However, slippage of on-site progress compared to the accepted programme occurred. Mellon added: “In addition to discussing the contractor’s early warnings at weekly meetings, we were also notifying our own early warnings regarding concerns on progress.” The Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 led to further delays due to disruption in delivering the fixtures, furniture and equipment for the student bedrooms and communal kitchens. In addition to this, in April 2022, the contractor’s mechanical sub-contractor went into administration, causing yet more delay. The NEC ECC Option A contract worked well to protect the client commercially from delays as well as from defects experienced in the later stages. The contractor employed a robust defecttracking procedure to mitigate delays and minimise delay damages. Turner & Townsend senior project manager Stephen Jefferies commented: “The client was able to recoup the delay to completion through option X7 on delay damages. The client was also protected by NEC’s clearly defined processes for how defects should be rectified, the process for notifications and the method of assessing costs against unresolved defects.” By working in the NEC’s required ‘spirit of mutual trust and co-operation’, the contract was finished on budget and just two months later than the original completion date. A UCL post implementation review was undertaken in 2023 with the contractor, client and professional team to distil lessons learned and to benefit all parties on future projects. www.neccontract.com www.turnerandtownsend.com Our case study shows how University College London (UCL) used NEC’s collaborative contracts to deliver a major new accommodation and academic facility in the face of the challenges of the pandemic and global supply instability UCL used collaborative contract to overcome global challenges highereducationestates 13 project case study
Join us for the latest higher education insights Stable Events’ hee forum is approaching fast – so do put the 7 th and 8 th of May in your diary and get in touch as soon as possible to book your place at this popular mustattend gathering. We’re staging the Forum at The Slate | Warwick Conferences at the heart of Warwick University’s campus. We’ll be discussing all the latest industry higher education issues and facilitating meetings between like-minded professionals who can help each other do business more smoothly and efficiently The speaker sessions are designed to explore current sector trends and challenges while sharing knowledge and sparking conversations on the future of construction within higher education circles. The theme at this year’s hee forum is: Building resilient campuses for a sustainable future. Topics to be discussed include: • Embedding sustainability in campus planning • Optimising space for flexible learning • Digital transformation for estate efficiency • Building high-performing estates teams • Prioritising backlog maintenance in constrained budgets In addition, we’re always keen to offer the broadest range of views and topics, so if you’re interested in being one of our speakers in May, please do get in touch with Georgie Smith, Delegate Relations Manager (contact details below) to discuss the opportunity to address your fellow built environment professionals. As well as engaging with presenters in a relaxed setting, delegates at the education building forum can network extensively with their peers. Attending will be education estates and facilities professionals in the colleges and universities sectors, architects, consultants, contractors, project managers and M&E specialists plus a wide range of key suppliers from across the education spectrum. Held over one and half days in this fabulous setting, the schedule of seminars and one-on-one business meetings is complemented by an extensive social programme including an informal gala dinner on the 7 th . What’s included: As a complimentary project delegate your place includes extensive networking with peers and potential business partners, 1-1 meetings with innovative suppliers of your choice and hearing from expert speakers during our seminar sessions. Additionally, we provide 1-2 nights’ accommodation, all your meals and refreshments, exclusive project delegate drinks reception and a delicious three course meal and entertainment at our gala dinner. Contact Details Speakers: Contact Georgie, on georgie.smith@stable-events.co.uk Project delegates: Contact Jo, on jo.holyland@stable-events.co.uk Supplier delegates: Contact Julian on julian@stable-events.co.uk Alternatively, you can call 0208 288 1080. 14 highereducationestates HE estates forum
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Creating STEM spaces for motorsport’s next generation Jade Barker, Associate Director at Drees and Sommer UK, and Glen Moses, Project Director at ADP Architecture, explain how they went about creating a teaching space fit for today’s top tier motorsports industry The UK's motorsport sector is a hotbed of innovation and technical ingenuity. While manufacturers and racing teams in England's 'Motorsport Valley' are no strangers to breaking new ground, doing so requires talented teams boasting a substantial bedrock of skills and training. To ensure the next generation of car designers and engineers are at the cutting edge of creativity, Oxford Brookes University (OBU) recently opened a £62 million engineering and motorsport facility at its Headington Hill campus. This investment builds on the university's impressive track record, with every F1 team currently having at least one OBU graduate onboard. The university's pedigree is underlined by the fact that alumnus and motorsport legend Dr Adrian Reynard, of whom a wing of the building is named after, is an ardent supporter of the course and its facilities. The School of Engineering, Computing and Mathematics is housed in a threestorey, 8,000sqm building designed to seamlessly integrate practical motorsport facilities with modern digital learning environments. Constructing such an advanced site required close collaboration across multiple parties, including OBU, construction consultant Drees and Sommer UK, main contractor Willmott Dixon, and ADP Architecture. The team also included CPW as the MEP designers and Turner and Townsend were the Quantity Surveyors. The facility utilises a variety of technologies to transform how students engage with their lessons. This includes an immersion lab for teaching, research, and industry engagement, alongside robotics labs, 3D printing technology, and deep learning computer suites. Virtual Reality, Mixed Reality, and Augmented Reality capabilities were all built in. As a centrepiece, the Virtual Reality Cave allows students from multiple disciplines to create everything from virtual buildings and towns to interactive CAD designs and even to test modifications on digital F1 cars in real-time. A central atrium and restaurant link the building's three floors with several breakout spaces as well as flexible teaching and social areas to facilitate interaction between students, academics, support staff, businesses, and local communities. Landscaping around the building provides relaxing outdoor learning spaces. A notable aspect is the building’s unique "breathing skin" design. The façade features perforations in front of intake louvres, allowing wind to pass through and ventilate the interior. The permeable membrane was carefully engineered to prevent whistling sounds, which was essential to obtaining planning permission due to the campus being in a conservation area. Design optimisations during the development delivered significant environmental benefits, even with an extra storey being added into the original plan. The engineering team reduced the weight of primary steel beams from 176 kg/m to 74 kg/m. This minimised material use and waste while creating a steel superstructure with 11% less embodied carbon per square metre compared to the initial design. In total, design changes saved approximately 150 tons of CO 2 . Some of the practical project management and cost management challenges the Drees and Sommer UK team navigated included coordinating the relocation of 12 academic departments. This was only possible through extensive stakeholder engagement and clear communication across multiple university departments. Being able to create educational environments such as the Headington Hill campus is going to become increasingly essential as industries become more invested in and reliant on advanced digital technologies. The complexity of such projects in higher education institutions means many specialists and stakeholders are required, but by closely aligning these talents it’s possible to create technologically sophisticated facilities that futureproof student skills. www.dreso.uk www.adp-architecture.com www.willmottdixon.co.uk www.cpwp.com www.turnerandtownsend.com 16 highereducationestates project
Illuminating the ancient with the new Perched on the rugged Dingle Peninsula in County Kerry, Ireland, the Sacred Heart University Dingle campus occupies the restored 19th-century Christian Brothers School building—a protected structure and landmark of regional education since 1860. Overlooking the Atlantic, the coastal town of Dingle is celebrated for its dramatic seascapes and vibrant cultural heritage, making it an inspirational setting for the university's study-abroad programmes. In March 2025, Minister Norma Foley officially opened the €12 million redevelopment, which repurposed the historic masonry and gabled roofs into modern teaching spaces, breakout areas, a library, and support facilities—while retaining the structure's architectural integrity and local character. Giles O'Connor Consultant Engineer, MRG Consulting Engineers & Architects and Freeman Electrical Services set exacting performance and heritage sensitivity standards. O'Connor commented: "Integrating modern lighting technology into a 19th-century landmark presented unique structural and electrical challenges. Zumtobel and Thorn's response gave us the confidence to specify a solution that delivers precise, glare-free illumination while preserving the building's historic fabric and withstanding the harsh coastal environment." Early in the design phase, the Zumtobel Group team was asked to switch the proposed recessed SLOTLIGHT infinity II to a surface-mounted system for value engineering. To demonstrate the merits of the original design, Zumtobel produced a detailed 3D model and animated walkthrough, showcasing how SLOTLIGHT infinity II delivers uniform, glare-free illumination with minimal ceiling impact, convincing the client to continue as planned. At Sacred Heart, lighting plays a pivotal role in enhancing both the function and character of the renovated spaces. In the classrooms and seminar rooms, Beta 3, Chalice 3, and IQ Wave luminaires have been carefully selected to provide uniform, glare-free illumination ideal for learning environments. To accentuate the heritage stonework within the interior, VIVO track-mounted spotlights subtly highlight the original features, offering a visual reminder of the building’s storied past. In the open areas of the new modern extension, custom-made SLOTLIGHT infinity II Round pendants in bold red, a nod to Sacred Heart’s corporate colours, serve as striking focal points. These are complemented by recessed SLOTLIGHT infinity II fittings that deliver clean, contemporary general lighting. Meanwhile, in the stairwells, the same red Slot pendants create an architectural feature, partnered with Novaline wall luminaires to ensure safe, well-lit circulation spaces. Mary O'Connell, Conservation Architect with MRG Consulting Engineers & Architects said: "Our vision was to transform the former Christian Brothers School into a contemporary learning campus whilst embracing its heritage character. The collaborative process with Zumtobel and Thorn allowed us to fine-tune every luminaire's placement, effect and colour temperature, resulting in spaces that feel authentic to the building’s heritage and architectural roots and perfectly suited to modern pedagogy." All interior luminaires are equipped with absence and daylight sensors that automatically adjust output to match occupancy and natural light, ensuring an energy-efficient, well-lit environment. Given Dingle's coastal location, Thorn's outdoor luminaires were specified with C5 corrosion-resistant finishes. Urba Bollards were retrofitted with power outlets to support future campus events. Raze floodlights, Isaro Pro and Urba lanterns, Piazza luminaires, Contrast architectural floodlights, and Eroa façade uplights were all selected for their durability and refined aesthetic to complete the exterior scheme. Alan Freeman, Freeman Electrical Services, commented: "As the electrical contractor, our priority was a scheme that was robust, serviceable and future-proof. Zumtobel and Thorn made the installation straightforward; today's low-maintenance, energy-efficient solution will serve SHU Dingle for decades to come." Today, the SHU Dingle campus boasts a highly energy-efficient, low-maintenance lighting scheme. These tailored environments support both relaxation and concentration and are a heritagerespecting solution praised by students, faculty, and the wider community. www.thornlighting.co.uk www.zumtobel.co.uk Zumtobel and its sister brand Thorn, both lighting brands of the Zumtobel Group, delivered a comprehensive scheme for the €8 million refurbishment of Sacred Heart University’s Dingle campus highereducationestates 17 interiors
A glass act at West Lothian College In February 2024, JB Glazing Solutions was tasked with replacing inefficient, outdated aluminium windows for a halfblock on campus at West Lothian College. It was a project commissioned by the Board of the College, coordinated through engineering services firm Ameresco, and delivered by JB Glazing Solutions, to a tight deadline. All work needed to be wrapped up during the February half-term to avoid disrupting classes and ensuring continuity of business. This involved completion of all internal work, external frame removals and new window installations, all of which was delivered with attention to detail. The windows being removed were large, cumbersome, and not exactly cooperative. Every replaced frame needed to come out cleanly, and every new one slotted in with care, all while meeting strict council thermal performance standards. That included achieving a whole window U-value of 1.2W/m²K and replicating the look of the original windows to preserve the building’s character. It was a balancing act of performance and aesthetics, against sustainability and efficiency. The polymer solutions supplier REHAU was Ameresco’s go-to advisor in selecting the right partner for this project. For Samsara McDonald, Commercial Sales Manager at REHAU UK, the choice was obvious. JB Glazing Solutions had already proven themselves on multiple occasions – most recently fitting REHAU frames in affordable housing projects across Glasgow – and their track record spoke volumes. After visiting a couple of sites with Ameresco and getting the go-ahead to submit pricing, JB Glazing Managing Director James Boyce, its Operations Director Jim Walker and McDonald formalised the college’s specification. Together, they mapped out window solutions for West Lothian College that would tick all the boxes – energy-efficient, low-maintenance, and seamless integration with other ongoing works, including new cladding and air source heat pump installations. With performance and practicality front of mind, REHAU recommended the TOTAL70R fully reversible system for the project. The system met the project specification for a whole window U-value of 1.2W/m²K, helping to improve the building’s overall energy efficiency. Its reversible design made it easier to clean and maintain – an important consideration for a college setting where access can be limited. The choice also supported the need for a consistent external appearance, with profiles in an elephant grey foil that could closely match the look of the original aluminium frames while offering the long-term durability of uPVC. For a project of this scale and complexity, the TOTAL70R offered a reliable, well-rounded solution. Frames were supplied by Baillieston-based fabricator Made for Trade Windows, JB Glazing Solutions were able to carry out the required works to the agreed deadline. The success of the initial installation didn’t go unnoticed. Impressed by how Jim and James handled the project, Ameresco brought JB Glazing Solutions back for more. What began as a halfblock retrofit soon expanded to include two full blocks, with the team returning over the Easter and summer break to carry out the expanded project. Around 360 windows have now been installed in total, in three-frame bay window configurations. And with discussions underway to renovate the final three blocks at West Lothian College, JB Glazing Solutions’ involvement on campus may yet continue. The company’s partnership with REHAU has also grown stronger through the course of the project, which Jim puts down to the reliability of the product itself. “I’ve worked with a lot of different profiles over the years, and REHAU stand out,” he says. “You notice it during installation, it’s just easier to work with. On a job like this, where you’re coordinating with multiple trades and working to tight deadlines, quality makes a big difference.” www.rehau.com/uk-en 18 highereducationestates glazing
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McLaren Property, the residential and student accommodation developer, has appointed McLaren Construction Midlands and North as main contractor for the landmark Upper Brook Street student accommodation development in Manchester. The project marks the second major scheme in the city where the two McLaren divisions are collaborating, following their successful partnership on St Gabriels Court. Early works have been progressing at pace, with both tower cranes now fully installed onsite. Ground clearance and preparation works are complete, alongside the installation of temporary site facilities. Piling has also concluded with 219 piles installed and concrete bases formed to support the two new residential buildings and cranes. The team had slip-form rigs assembled before the Christmas period, enabling the concrete frame to commence early in the new year. McLaren Property’s £160m Upper Brook Street development will be forward funded by L&G, a leading direct investor, lender, developer, and operator in residential real estate, with the partnership delivering the purpose-built student accommodation scheme, comprising c.272,854 sqft across two buildings of 9-storey and 23-storeys, totalling 737 student bedspaces (288 studios and 449 cluster bedrooms) along with a range of shared amenities including a gym, fitness studio and collaborative study and social spaces. The new student accommodation building will include a community facility, café and new accessible public realm with new trees, and a commitment to achieve high levels of sustainability to include BREEAM excellent, EPC A and Platinum Wired Score ratings. The project is targeting BREEAM Excellent and an EPC A rating, with completion set in time for the 2028 academic year. Alongside its technical and environmental ambitions, the scheme places strong emphasis on social value and the project team is partnering with local community groups and the Salvation Army to deliver initiatives that exceed contractual social value commitments. www.mclarengroup.com McLaren Construction Midlands and North appointed to deliver Upper Brook Street student scheme in Manchester Atelier has completed the successful funding cycle of a purpose-built student accommodation scheme, with the borrower refinancing the development following practical completion and stabilisation. The project, a joint venture between Zenzic and Torsion, was constructed and developed by Torsion. It comprises a 196-studio purpose-built student accommodation building near the University of Warwick, delivered with amenity features including a gym, private dining room and rooftop terrace, and managed by the Torsion-backed operating company LUNA. The scheme is 100% occupied. Atelier provided a £26.2m development loan to support delivery through construction and completion, working closely with the borrower to meet a tight build programme ahead of scheduled occupation. Now operational and refinanced, the scheme marks a successful transition from development funding into long-term investment ownership, an outcome that reflects the strength of collaboration across the funding and delivery teams. Dan Spencer, Founder & CEO of Torsion Developments, commented: “It’s been great delivering this scheme with Atelier, something that’s only possible with the right funding partner and a genuinely collaborative approach throughout the development journey.” Chris Gardner, Atelier CEO, added: “The repayment of a facility of this scale is an important milestone for both borrower and lender. It demonstrates how collaboration across the sector enables schemes to move successfully through the full cycle of development and investment.” Torsion Group has also recently completed four Purpose-Built Student Accommodation (PBSA) schemes for the 2025/26 academic year, delivering 690 beds across Leeds, Coventry, Nottingham and York. In a year marked by sector-wide construction, labour, and occupancy challenges, Torsion delivered all four assets in time for September student move-in, demonstrating the resilience and advantages of its vertically integrated model. www.atelierfinance.co.uk www.zenziccapital.com www.torsiongroup.co.uk Atelier funds successful PBSA development through to refinancing completion 20 highereducationestates student accommodation
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