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University of Birmingham 2045 Campus Vision

Birmingham, UK

º£½ÇÊÓƵ helped the University of Birmingham to build a masterplan framework that is fully aligned with the institution’s key development principles and its routemap to net zero carbon.

The masterplan, commonly referred to as ‘2045 Campus Vision’ will be critical in supporting the University to achieve its ultimate goal of joining the Global Top 50 Universities and laying solid foundations for its future development.

For over a century, the University of Birmingham has been dedicated to pursuing and sharing knowledge through exceptional teaching and world-leading research. The Russell Group institution has a thriving student community that benefits from outstanding campus and research facilities.

Its main Birmingham campus has grown to 672 acres, and the organisation now also has a base in Dubai. The University welcomes more than 30,000 students from across the world and is a leader in many areas of research.

As the University continues to develop, they are keen to build a clear and robust framework to ensure the sustainability of its growth.

º£½ÇÊÓƵ was engaged to deliver insight and expertise around sustainability and building physics, biodiversity, people movement and smart technology.

Our sustainability experts conducted a broad assessment of the University’s assets, using this to inform a new vision for campus development and a detailed implementation plan.

Our biodiversity team led a review of the main campus, supporting the masterplanning process and developing a programme of recommendations to nurture, protect, and enhance biodiversity for better outcomes

Challenge

As it continues to develop, the University is keen to build a clear and robust framework to ensure the sustainability of its growth, within the scope of the institution’s strategic target to achieve operational net zero carbon by 2045.

The 2045 Campus Vision aims to provide broad ideas for how the estate could be developed over the next two decades and beyond. It will steer decisions and provide the flexibility to adapt, embrace new technologies and sustainability approaches, and navigate new challenges.

A team of industry-leading consultants was gathered through a competitive tendering process to work on the project, led by architects Kohn Pedersen Fox (KPF). º£½ÇÊÓƵ was engaged to deliver insight and expertise around sustainability and building physics, biodiversity, crowd dynamics and people movement, and smart technology integration.

Solution

The University’s 2045 Campus Vision provides a longer-term approach to campus development, harnessing technology, and aligned to the institution’s net zero carbon and sustainability ambitions. It provides broad ideas for how the University’s estate could be developed over the next two decades, enabling it to make the right decisions for the future.

Our sustainability experts, with support from a range of cross-functional University teams, carried out an assessment of the University’s carbon targets, gathering insight from existing reports and previous studies, the University’s carbon accounting reports and it net zero carbon plan. Our team then conducted an assessment of buildings across the University’s Edgbaston and Selly Oak campuses helping to build a clear picture of the current state of the portfolio.

We examined key questions around the development of new spaces, including balancing the relative merits of different approaches, in terms of the embodied and operational carbon intensity of new-build developments against refurbishments. This allowed us to build a clear picture of which assets were most energy-intensive, as well as which of these had the most potential to be improved and which might be more efficiently replaced. We also provided insight around removal of buildings from the current steam district heating network through installation of significantly less carbon intensive air-source heat pumps.

Our biodiversity experts conducted a series of surveys of the UK campus to highlight the sensitivities of the different habitats and develop a baseline assessment for the biodiversity of the different sites.

Understanding the University’s Smart Campus aspirations also created a range of additional opportunities for energy efficiency improvements, space optimisation and digital innovation to support the institution’s long term carbon reduction. Our people movement experts were also able to deliver insight into a range of cross-campus efficiencies.

Our sustainability experts employed a parametric optimisation approach, which explores various permutations of Carbon Reduction Measures (CRMs). Recommendations were made to implement system technologies, such as heat pumps, made viable by the rapid decarbonisation of the national grid. This science-based approach varied across the campus but often prioritised system upgrades over fabric improvements.

Value

Our sustainability experts conducted a broad assessment of the University’s assets, using this to inform development of the University’s net zero carbon strategy and implementation plan. This was supported with valuable insight from a range of other º£½ÇÊÓƵ disciplines, helping to shape the institution’s strategies around smart technology, crowd dynamics and biodiversity.

The University’s estates-led 2045 Campus Vision creates a clear vision for an innovative and socially-engaged campus transformation that will elevate one of the UK’s leading academic institutions into a world academic leader, with a continued focus on growing transformational research, accommodating new approaches to teaching, expanding informal learning opportunities and enhancing campus life. This will all be achieved within the scope of the institution’s strategic target to achieve operational net zero carbon by 2045.