Using university estates more efficiently is the key to unlocking their potential. Universities typically have large, diverse estates, which have never been used as intensively as buildings in other sectors. But a combination of recent trends has sent utilisation rates plummeting, in some cases leaving tumbleweed blowing through once lively campuses and classrooms.

This means that universities are spending constrained budgets on maintenance and power for spaces that are surplus or no longer useful. It also diminishes the campus experience and hinders progress towards climate goals – both key selling points in an increasingly competitive market for students and teaching staff.

But our experience across many university campuses suggests this challenge of underutilisation can also be seen as an opportunity. By seizing the initiative and rethinking higher-education spaces, universities can transform their estates to meet the demands of a rapidly changing world.

Challenge #1: Falling student numbers

Today’s young people are turning away from university as the default path to a professional career – unwilling to launch careers with a hefty student debt. Meanwhile, Covid and tightening immigration restrictions have dented international student intakes, and the income that they bring. 

“The reduction in student numbers, particularly from overseas, is a massive challenge for the university sector as a whole,” says Matthew Winn, a Partner in the Project Management team at Ridge, “That has impacted cash flow, and their ability to invest in capital improvements.”

Opportunity: Consolidate

Ridge helps universities analyse their space with the aim of consolidating scattered functions. “This means making better use of existing buildings, and freeing up unneeded ones,” says Ridge Cost Management Partner Jackie French. This can reduce rental costs or release funding for investment elsewhere. 

“We look at utilisation levels and timetables to decide whether a department needs a separate building, and we find opportunities where study spaces and lecture theatres can be shared,” adds her colleague Leonard Poon, also a Partner in our Cost Management team. “Then a cost-benefit analysis determines whether greater value can be derived from retaining a building and renting it out, or selling it to reinvest elsewhere on the estate.”

Online teaching means 500-seat lecture theatres are a thing of the past.

Leonard Poon Ridge Partner, Cost Management

 

Challenge #2: Blurred lines between study and work

More students are opting to combine study with work, either through degree apprenticeships or selecting courses that guarantee employability. This shift to part-time learning and sandwich courses means dedicated teaching spaces may only be needed for a few hours a week, or at certain times of the year. The higher demand for vocational subjects requires universities to offer courses that continually evolve, so they stay relevant in a rapidly changing job market.

Opportunity: Flexible teaching spaces

Flexible spaces can accommodate different subjects, improve utilisation rates, and are more easily adapted as demands change. “Standing back to consider utilisation at an estate level leads to a ‘loose-fit’ approach with less emphasis on department-led thinking,” says Graham Blackburn, Head of Architecture at Ridge. This means designing multifunctional buildings with open floorplates, demountable partitions, modular services and easily moveable furniture. 

This echoes a parallel shift in commercial and industrial buildings, he adds. “Much of the work our design teams do in the Formula One industry involves constantly changing interiors, unplugging critical bits of kit and moving them elsewhere.”

Challenge #3: Hybrid learning is the new normal

After learning was forced online during Covid, students now expect a rich and interactive hybrid environment that combines more in-person teaching time with flexible, convenient online interactions. 

A permanent shift to this model could bring fewer students and staff on site, impacting not only the utilisation of teaching buildings, but also individual study areas, support services and amenities. Campuses could become less vibrant, and the overall student experience less appealing – leaving universities struggling to differentiate themselves, or to justify the time and expense of taking a degree at all.

Opportunity: Prioritise student experience

“When we design university buildings today, our focus is firmly on student experience and mental wellbeing,” says Leonard. “We provide opportunities for people to engage with society.” This doesn’t mean spending more, but it does mean allocating space and budgets differently. 

For example, the infrastructure required to record and broadcast lectures may have increased, but the cost is offset by a need for smaller buildings. “Online teaching means 500-seat lecture theatres are a thing of the past,” he says. “Our designs now provide 150 or 200 seats.” 

Underutilised teaching areas could be converted to social learning environments for today’s hybrid world. “If only 40% of a five-storey building is needed, you have three storeys to rehouse other faculties or provide new types of space,” says Matthew Richards, a Partner in our Architecture practice. “We’ve been helping clients develop ‘learning commons’ – somewhere between a library and a social space. They encourage group working, but also offer quiet, secluded areas to cater for all students.”

Challenge #4: Persuading academics to share space

One of the biggest stumbling blocks is an entrenched culture among teaching staff that equates real estate with status. Cellular offices are all but obsolete in other workplaces, but still take up vast amounts of space in academia. 

Value for money is very important to fee-sensitive students, points out Abby Foster, a Partner and Sustainability Consultant at Ridge. “They don’t want bright and shiny facilities that turn into white elephants,” she says. “They want practical spaces that support them during their time at university.”

Opportunity: Drill down to what the academics really want

When the Open University embarked on a project to move its research-based academics into an open-plan workspace, it was down to architect Graham Blackburn to sell in the idea.  “We broke the problem down into activities” he explains, “finding out what each person really needed to do their job.” 

There were a rare few such as mathematicians who needed to work through equations on a whiteboard, but many others simply didn’t need a separate area.  “The danger is that you end up with lots and lots of little underused boxes, when actually we need to open our minds to new ways of handling the space we have.”

Times are changing – the academics of the future will have completely different expectations.

Graham Blackburn, Head of Architecture at Ridge

Challenge #5: The information gap

You can only manage what you measure, and most universities do not gather data on how their buildings are used. When a university commissioned Ridge to carry out a feasibility study for a reuse project, a manual survey was the only option. 

“Our team walked around the building for a week, physically counting the number of people using each room,” says Matthew Richards. “This showed it was only used on average 52% of the time, at 15% capacity, although the university was still paying for heating and lighting because it didn’t have effective management systems in place.”

Opportunity:  Invest in smart technologies

Today, it is far easier to get to grips with utilisation. Smart technologies are cheaper and easier to integrate into existing buildings. 

Battery-powered Bluetooth sensors on ceilings can provide a constant stream of occupancy data that identifies underused areas or unexpected patterns.

Entry and exit systems not only improve building security, but also keep a check on people’s movements. Meanwhile, commercial office systems drive more efficient buildings by automating room bookings and directing people to certain floors or areas, shutting down systems when they’re not needed.

Our contributors to this article would love to hear from you. Want to know more, get in touch: Matthew Winn, Jackie French, Leonard Poon, Graham Blackburn, Abby Foster, Matthew Richards

Read THE UNIVERSITY CHALLENGE: Reshaping estates to unlock hidden value