Discover and share good practice for smarter working universities

Do you speak laboratory?

The S-Lab: Supporting World Class Science programme aims to improve laboratory efficiency and effectiveness in all dimensions, including scientific value, resource efficiency and staff well-being. S-Lab director Peter James discusses the crucial role of estates and facilities in supporting these objectives.

Beacons of learning – micro-location technology on campus

The growing use of smartphones is making micro-location technology more attractive and delegates at this week's ALT Annual Conference 2016 will learn about how it could be used in universities. Ahead of the presentation, Sheffield Hallam University's Ian Glover describes a study he has jointly carried out into the use of 'bluetooth beacons' in higher education.
University Business logo

How the hub concept is taking hold in universities

With boundaries becoming blurred between disciplines, flexible space, exemplified by the concept of a multi-functional hub, is becoming common in many institutions, writes Damon Jones in Universities Business.
Collaborative teaching laboratory at the University of Birmingham

How one university is tackling under-utilised teaching spaces

Single discipline teaching labs can often be under used: typically for just 24 weeks per year. Ian Tidmarsh explains how new larger teaching labs at the University of Birmingham aim to provide more flexibility, higher utilisation and thus deliver better value for money.
Engineering and Computing Building

Summer on the campus

University campuses are no longer deserted during July and August. Rosie Niven looks at how estates managers are making their assets pay for themselves during the long summer holiday.

Sue Holmes: ‘student experience remains our priority’

Oxford Brookes, like most universities, is facing pressure on its estate from increasing student numbers and higher expectations. We talk to the university’s director of estates, Sue Holmes, about how she is dealing with these pressures.
UEA campus

Balancing the heart and the head: maintaining UEA’s iconic buildings

The University of East Anglia is taking a low-cost approach to its efficiency and effectiveness programme, which is being delivered by a small team. Ian Powling meets four members of this team to discover their progress in realising the programme
SUPC

How collaboration between procurement and estates is delivering value for money

With universities spending billions on estates, the relationship between estates and procurement services is key. Three members of the Southern Universities Purchasing Consortium have described how their institutions are building closer relationships between these two departments, which are delivering savings and better value for money.
Loughborough Hazlerigg Building

Identifying opportunities to deliver value from university estates

As the funding environment for universities gets tougher, managing estates in a way that is both efficient and can contribute an income will be vital. At an event this week, Loughborough University’s Andrew Burgess will explore some of the strategies to identify commercial opportunities higher education estates can provide.

The UK Higher Education Learning Space Toolkit: a SCHOMS, AUDE and UCISA collaboration

This toolkit has been produced by three higher education organisations to help their members share best practice and work more effectively when creating learning spaces. It is intended to serve both as a practical guide and as a source of inspiration in the design of spaces that delight and motivate students, as well as meet their functional needs.