Lancaster University is an internationally highly ranked leader in the provision of inspiring teaching and research. Located on a beautiful campus in the north-west of England, the University places great emphasis on a strong student experience and employability, and gives students access to academics who are experts in their field.

In 2015 Lancaster University’s facilities division was the inaugural winner of the AUDE estates/facilities team of the year award. It came after a string of successes driven by a desire to develop a culture of ownership and accountability among all staff and to continually improve service delivery.

More than £500m has been invested into the Bailrigg campus since 2006, and the plans for the next ten years are even more ambitious. From its inception in 1964, Lancaster University has been built on a foundation of pioneering innovation and individuality. It constantly examines its facilities and learning environment in order to reflect the needs of the community. Its commitment to sustainability ensures that it remains mindful of its impact on the environment and the need to reduce its carbon footprint.

In the past twenty-five years it has broken the mould in terms of estate development, with projects including the iconic Ruskin Library (1998), which brought with it challenges of both design and logistics; the striking InfoLab21 building (2005), which now houses an international centre of excellence for research in information and communication technologies, supporting regional SMEs; and the more recent opening of the new award-winning Engineering building (2015).

In 2011 a total of £20m was invested in a new sports centre with state-of-the-art facilities for the University and the local community and schools. The sports facilities were ranked sixth best in the Times Higher Education Student Experience Survey 2015, and offer students the opportunity to take part in a wide range of sports. Such has been the engagement in sport and well-being that new plans include a further three phases of investment in sport.

Campus developments themselves haave also won awards. The Lancaster Institute of Contemporary Arts (LICA) building was the first university building to be awarded BREEAM ‘outstanding’ for environmental performance. The Engineering building won RIBA national, regional and sustainability awards; it also received a BREEAM ‘outstanding’ award and the coveted British Construction Industry award for building project of the year.

The Lancaster Institute of Contemporary Arts (LICA)

The successful completion of the library redevelopment in 2016 was a result of listening and involving students and users throughout the design and construction. It offers a light, airy and spacious academic study environment. Among the facilities are hundreds of faster PCs, high-speed Wi-Fi, bookable group study rooms with audiovisual facilities, loanable laptops and facilities to print, scan and copy on every floor. The project also achieved a BREEAM ‘excellent’ score, a fantastic result for a refurbishment project.

In 2015 Lancaster was awarded the prestigious title of Best University Halls in the National Student Housing Survey for the sixth year running. This followed the continuing refurbishment of student accommodation. The accommodation was also declared best value for money in the survey, based on the feedback of students against that of their peers at more than 200 UK universities and colleges. Additionally, Lancaster is one of just seven institutions to achieve the International Accommodation Quality Mark, awarded when satisfaction among international students is above 90%.

A new campus master plan has been created with the University’s architects so as to underpin commitment to providing world-class teaching and research facilities. The scope of the ten-year master plan is ambitious, taking in the planning of the new Health Innovation campus; the redevelopment of the renowned Management School; the total renovation of the University’s core communal walkway, the Spine; and the recent acquisition of the 69-hectare Forrest Hills complex, an award-winning scenic conference and events venue.

Lancaster has improved the way in which it engages with stakeholders over the delivery of services, developing comprehensive communication plans to gain feedback. The Design the Spine campaign, for example, was launched with a dedicated website, a digital marketing campaign, public design workshops and awareness events. It attracted widespread interest and encouraged wider ownership of the project.

New retail outlets at the University have brought greater choice to staff, students and visitors, making Lancaster University the most comprehensive retail environment on a UK campus.

The continued journey to achieve excellence in all areas of the estate and facilities has not been without obstacles, and the physical and logistical task of regenerating and creating new learning and living spaces has been challenging. However, the efforts of talented, creative and committed people, and a clear focus on engaging students and staff in this journey, have been the key to success.

Lancaster is passionate about learning from others and also about sharing experiences, and this is why it so greatly values membership and involvement with the AUDE community: like-minded people pushing the boundaries, delivering excellence in estates and facilities.

The Library

The Engineering building

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Article taken from the book ‘AUDE: The First 25 Years’. Digital and hard copies available to buy.

Content for the book was drafted during 2016 and 2017 and was correct at the time of writing.