Why UK universities must embrace refurbishment of complex buildings and estates
April 07, 2026
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Universities are rethinking complex estates to meet net zero goals, protect finances, and deliver better campus experiences for future students
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For much of the of the twenty-first century, growth defined the physical evolution of the UK university campus. Rising student numbers and income streams led to ambitious masterplans and landmark new, complex buildings. The development of new buildings went together with confidence and competitiveness.
Recently, the landscape has seen a fundamental shift.
Universities face a new reality. The competition for students is intensifying. Estates contain complex buildings with rising operating costs. The pressure on fee income is growing. Coupled with these is a growing recognition that the sector¡¯s long-term sustainability hinges on its response to the climate emergency. Universities must upgrade their campuses to succeed.
Capital costs have also risen, and public funding has become more selective. The Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme (PSDS) awarded ?319 million to universities between 2020 and 2025. This was set aside for projects that focused on heat decarbonisation and energy efficiency. Some of these schemes will continue to be funded into the 2027/28 fiscal year. However, access to new funding closed in May last year. It¡¯s not clear if the scheme will return.
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Birmingham City University worked with our team to implement a data-led approach to risk across its entire real estate portfolio, including the Curzon Building on its city centre campus. (Credit: Birmingham City University)
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Unlocking value by reshaping complex buildings and estates
Against this backdrop, the question facing universities is no longer how to expand, but rather how to reshape what they already have. The refurbishment of complex estates is no longer a tactical response. It is the foundation to create future-ready universities.
The higher education sector in the UK is the custodian of a vast and varied property portfolio. It¡¯s quite complex. Much of this is mixed-use that has been expanded over time. This brings heritage constraints and limitations for MEP (mechanical, electrical, and plumbing).
Many university estates are ageing, inefficient, and no longer meet the needs of today¡¯s students. Yet these existing buildings hold real potential. With a clear, strategic approach to refurbishment, universities can transform the student experience, cut carbon emissions, and achieve better value for money than relying on new construction alone.
Today, institutions must grapple with the twin challenges of fiscal resilience and net zero compliance. Reshaping estates is no longer a luxury. It is fast becoming the defining challenge for higher education institutions and a critical test of how they adapt to a changing world.
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The ground floor of Kingston University¡¯s Main Building has been refurbished and features new seating, studying, and socialising spaces. (Credit: Neilcott and 3DH Photography)
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Data-led refurbishment and climate resilience in practice
We find a good example from Birmingham City University¡¯s (BCU) climate risk and resilience assessment. The university has a complex estate; it¡¯s facing more heat stress, flooding, and extreme weather. Rather than focus on a wholesale replacement, the university worked with our team to use a data-led approach to assess risk across its real estate portfolio. This result?
- Targeted refurbishment
- Prioritised investment
- Long-term resilience planning that is aligned with its wider sustainability commitments
BCU is not the only university to take this approach. The University of Nottingham (UoN) was concerned by the extremely hot summer of 2022 that prompted a temporary closure of some campus laboratories due to the heat. As a result, it engaged our people to conduct a climate risk study. The study allowed the university to gain a deeper understanding of the long-term physical climate risk to its buildings and infrastructure across its 26.3-hectare campus. Our report, the first of its kind to be set against the UK Green Building Council¡¯s Physical Risk Framework methodology, looked at how UoN¡¯s campus would cope with a changing climate. The report looked into extreme temperatures, drought, and flooding. This research enabled our team to recommend ways to future-proof the campus. And the result is helping UoN take a long-term approach to climate resilience, attract new students with best-in-class buildings, and support long-term business continuity. I expect more universities across the country will look at their campuses and carry out similar studies.
Risk identification across complex buildings and estates isn¡¯t always the top priority. This is especially true if universities have chosen locations that are prime for refurbishment to bring them in line with new-build developments. When Kingston University unveiled its RIBA Award-winning Town House building on the Penrhyn Road campus¡ªwhich became the new home for its Learning Resource Centre (LRC)¡ªit knew it could give the LRC¡¯s previous home a new lease of life.?
" }When universities refurbish, they can address varied priorities faced by the sector. It means they can deliver a compelling student experience while controlling capital costs.
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The result was a ?20 million investment in the refurbishment of the Main Building. It was completed across two phases between summer 2023 and 2025. Extensive remodelling of this complex building delivered an enhanced experience for students. For example, most of the ground floor was reworked to include seating, studying, and socialising spaces that boost accessibility and connectivity with other areas of the campus. Our team worked closely with BMJ Architects and other interested parties to deliver?design services from the early concept stage right through to the construction phase.
Sustainability was at the forefront, and it needed to be. Students are often making environmental issues a factor when deciding where to apply. A 2025 survey showed 70 percent of students say sustainability makes them proud of their institution. After the update, the Main Building features efficient ventilation and heating, improved lighting, and new glazing and insulation. Combined, these reduced the building¡¯s carbon footprint and contributed towards Kingston¡¯s commitment to hit net zero by 2039. They also led to a nomination at the 2025 Education Estates Awards for Refurbishment of the Year.
From my view, the result brought much-needed coherence to a building that, over the years, had been extended and adapted as its use changed. Complex buildings like this make up a large portion of higher education estates across the country. More than 50 percent dates from 1940 to 1999. The majority of this was built in the 1960s and 1970s.?
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Refurbishment of the Main Building was completed across two phases between summer 2023 and 2025. (Credit: Neilcott and 3DH Photography)
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The decades-long history and patchwork nature of these complex buildings presents a challenge when the time comes to revitalise them for the future. These buildings demand thorough research¡ªdelving into blueprints and conducting on-site surveys to understand the scale and historical anomalies that need to be factored in when moving a design from concept to completion.
For example, let¡¯s look at University of Exeter¡¯s (UoE) Amory Building. This is the centrepiece of its Streatham Campus. Dating back to the 1970s, the building is the home of the university¡¯s law faculty. It¡¯s in the early stages of a planned refurbishment that will vastly improve the student experience. We¡¯re working with UoE to RIBA Stage 2, looking at the existing building and finding potential ways to improve it. These are plotted on a sustainability matrix that shows how incremental improvements can deliver big strides towards net zero goals. Indeed, the Streatham Campus was one beneficiary of the now-cancelled PSDS scheme. It received ?8.6 million to replace gas boilers with low-carbon alternatives.
Refurbishment of complex buildings as a marker of institutional maturity
The question of refurbishment or new build of complex buildings is often framed as one of ambition. However, in the current climate, it is a question of alignment and pragmatism.
When universities refurbish, they can address varied priorities faced by the sector. It means they can deliver a compelling student experience while controlling capital costs. They can improve building performance and reduce carbon. They can invest in place without overexposing their stretched balance sheets. It means institutions can respond incrementally, intelligently, and visibly. And they can do this rather than committing all of their scarce resources to long-term projects.
BCU and UoN¡¯s show what¡¯s possible when refurbishment is part of a wider, long-term strategy. Upgrading complex buildings must be part of the bigger picture. By building climate risk, resilience, and wellbeing into their plans, both universities are treating their existing estates as flexible assets that can adapt over time. Focusing first on the buildings most at risk¡ªand timing investment to align with maintenance cycles¡ªwill mean today¡¯s decisions remain robust in a different climate future.
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Improved lighting, new glazing, and insulation have helped reduce the carbon footprint of the Main Building at Kingston University. (Credit: Neilcott and 3DH Photography)
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This is not an argument against new complex buildings where they are needed. Universities will continue to invest in new buildings, and rightfully so. They can still be the best course of action for sites that have a specific use case, such as medical laboratories. However, expansion is no longer the only marker of progress. As universities face growing financial and environmental challenges, how they use their existing assets is the new sign of institutional maturity.
The universities that thrive in the next decade will be those that view their estates not as static inheritances or symbols of past growth. But as adaptable, resilient systems that can evolve over time. By focusing on the refurbishment of complex estates, they can create campuses that are more flexible, more inclusive, and more sustainable. In doing so, they will show that transformation does not mean starting again from scratch.
It is clear that the best option for delivering a future-ready campus is revitalising what is already in place.
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