The legacy of the 1960s university estate

There is a 'refurbish or replace' dilemma for the sector in relation to the continued use of buildings constructed or planned in the 1960s. This project, which was completed in April 2008, analysed case studies and research on how other sectors address similar issues. Four key points emerged:

• academic buildings can often be refurbished more successfully than residential
• while the financial case for refurbishment might look poor, with costs in some cases as high as 80 per cent of new build, there are often significant other benefits from the refurbishment route, particularly environmental ones
• high standards of environmental performance can be achieved on refurbishment projects, provided that objective is at the core of the design from the outset
• architectural excellence can still be achieved in refurbishment projects.

The website provides a toolkit and advice to assist institutions make appropriate decisions concerning sustainability options for this property.

Total funding : £49,284

Web-site : www.aude.ac.uk/info-centre/1960s_project