A brief summary of the findings of our initial consultation on the UCL Estates 2050 Vision (previously called the Estates Masterplan), and an update on next steps.
At the all-staff Town Hall in February 2024 , we announced that we would be developing a 25-year plan to improve our extensive estate to inspire and enable the very best in our students and staff, with sustainability, inclusivity, and student and staff welfare at its heart.
The consultation phase of this ’Estates Masterplan’ - now renamed the ’UCL Estates 2050 Vision’ to better reflect our aspirations for the project - ran from May to September. Students and staff were invited to take part in surveys to gauge attitudes towards working and living spaces, and to get an idea of how these spaces are used. Alongside this, the project team held a series of meetings with Faculty, VP offices and Students’ Union UCL representatives to talk about their ambitions and aspirations for the future.
Almost 3,000 members of the UCL community fed into this initial consultation process. We’d like to extend a huge thank you to everyone who participated by taking part in a consultation, completing the survey or contributing any other kind of feedback. The core principle of this vision is that it will be created ’by all, for all’ so you have truly helped to make a more inclusive and representative plan for UCL’s future estate.
What have we found so far’
The response from our academic leadership teams was very consistent - ways of teaching and learning have changed vastly over the last few decades and the estate must change to keep up:
- There is a clearly identified need across the board for improved collaboration, teaching and learning spaces, including ’neighbourhoods’ for related disciplines and to reduce the fragmentation of departments.
- Flexible/multi-use spaces and more communal spaces are also high on the list of priorities.
- Improved lab spaces for research and the co-creation of hubs is seen as important.
- Most agreed that a review of office usage is vital to improve the way we work.
- Estates was identified as a limiting factor across 9 of our 11 faculties, underlining the fact that the improvement of the estate is a crucial enabling factor for UCL’s academic ambitions.
The response from non-academic leadership was more varied, but all’agreed that:
- Accessibility is key - this is currently a limiting factor across much of our estate.
- Modern, appealing and flexible spaces are needed for meetings, events and teaching, with the option for hybrid meetings.
- Services provided by LLCOS (museums and collections, Library Services) are fragmented and could be consolidated more effectively. Spaces need to be conveniently situated for the groups that use them.
- More effective ways should be developed to use shared processes and resources for research staff.
Student representatives agreed on the need for improved spaces for sports and extracurricular activities - including a larger and better Students’ Union building - in line with the aspirations set out in the Student Life Strategy. Student accommodation was also raised as an area requiring improvement.
The response from the staff and student surveys highlighted that:
- Our estate is important to both students and staff, but only around half of students and one fifth of staff feel positively towards it.
- Students broadly agree that their environment makes them feel motivated and included, but fewer agree that it promotes wellbeing, or is high-quality.
- The main points of dissatisfaction for students are in three key areas: collaborative and group spaces, sports and leisure and individual study spaces.
- Staff are less satisfied with their environment, with many thinking that UCL’s spaces are less high-quality than those of peer institutions.
- The main points of dissatisfaction for staff are lighting, heating, ventilation and WC facilities. Staff also appear more dissatisfied with meeting rooms and other collaborative and communal spaces including open plan offices.
- Both staff and students emphasised the importance of accessibility, and the availability of quiet spaces for study, rest and prayer.
What’s happening next’
Work is due to begin soon on the Main Quad and Wilkins Building to make them more accessible and sustainable in preparation for UCL’s Bicentenary.
’Phase One’ of the UCL Estates 2050 Vision will be ready to release in Term 2 of the 2024/25 academic year, summarising our findings from the consultation and initial priorities and recommendations. We will also set out a strategic approach to our buildings, identifying key areas for development.
’Phase 2’ will commence early next year, looking at:
- Developing interlinked faculty estates strategies
- A review of Estates policies and standards relating to the UCL Estates 2050 Vision
- Identifying and starting to implement delivery programmes related to themes within the UCL Estates 2050 Vision
The Academic Ambition consultation, led by the Strategy team, will continue in depth next year.
- University College London, Gower Street, London, WC1E 6BT (0) 20 7679 2000
