UK universities are facing more competition than ever before in the battle to attract students, staff and, crucially, funding. These pressures are forcing their estates to work much harder and budgets to stretch much further.
The UK’s HE sector is seeing five main drivers of change that will become more pronounced over time:
Competition: universities compete fiercely to attract, impress and inspire students
Increased expectations: students are more demanding than ever, and their expectations are increasing
Reduced funding: government funding for university construction is continually reducing
Rapid pace of change: technological change in education puts pressure on buildings, new and old
Ageing infrastructure: the pressure to update, renovate or replace inappropriate or unsafe buildings and infrastructure is increasing.
These drivers for change can be an opportunity for university Finance Directors, Directors of Estates and their teams to configure their estates and focus budgets on areas that will provide most impact.
Poor performing university buildings and estates damage student experience and reduce staff productivity. Running an estate with the right buildings, operated in the right way, allows universities to become more financially and environmentally sustainable for the long term. LCMB Building Performance Ltd, Constructing Excellence national members have written an estates management and transformation framework to help UK universities
have more productive, satisfied students and staff
enhance their reputation, and be more impressive in a competitive environment
enjoy optimal use of their estates
become more cost and energy efficient
You can download the LCMB guide from their website via this link http://www.lcmb.co.uk/university_estates_guide/
