The Yorkshire Universities Development Plans Conference on the 7th February is set to hear from numerous regional universities about their current projects and future pipelines – and one of the most exciting is the masterplan that the University of Leeds is currently working on.

The masterplan outlined a total of 19 development sites within the campus which have the potential of providing 80,000sq m of additional accommodation whilst transforming what the university has to offer. A £520m investment is enabling the delivery of a capital investment programme which includes significant refurbishment of existing buildings too, particularly those development in the 60’s during a period of accelerated growth for higher education in Leeds. Some of the projects have been completed but there is a host of projects set to begin in the future including:

Leeds Engineering & Technology Campus

The project will develop the University’s offsite campus for creating an innovative, collaborative space for our world-leading interdisciplinary researchers in infrastructure materials, high speed railways and systems integration, structural dynamics and robotics, which would not previously have been achievable within the current campus. The technology campus will complement Nexus – our new centre for innovation and enterprise – to become the primary vehicle and catalyst for connecting our internationally regarded research and expertise with business and industry.

Sir William Henry Bragg Building

A new £96m development, the Sir William Henry Bragg Building, will be constructed to create an integrated campus for Engineering and Physical Sciences to build on a shared interaction between these disciplines. Located on the north east quarter of campus the new 15,700m2 building will enable the integration of the University disciplines of Engineering, Physics and Astronomy, and Computing along with the provision of critical central teaching and social interaction spaces.

Leeds University Business School Expansion

The new Leeds University Business School buildings will provide technology-rich, flexible teaching spaces, lecture theatres and trading rooms, further advancing the delivery of world-class teaching solutions.

School of Design (Refurbishment)

The £4.4m investment in Clothworkers’ South will create new laboratories, exhibition areas and student spaces that will excite and enable. The building will house state of the art research facilities focused on 3D Weaving, Creative and Technical Digital Print, Sustainability and Colour.  

Spen Farm

The aim of the project is to establish a competitive advantage for the University of Leeds amongst a unique, leading-edge research environment across Europe. The University is a member of a consortium of 12 Research Providers known as the Centre for Innovation Excellence in Livestock (CIEL). The facility will provide a new indoor research facility housing 440 sows; establishing an outdoor herd of 220 sows; provision of related office space and seminar and meeting rooms.

Nexus Innovation and Enterprise Centre

Nexus will provide a place where businesses and other external organisations looking to innovate, be more productive and grow can access the University’s capabilities and talent. The new 10,000m2 Centre will be a hub for the growing innovation community in Leeds, creating new jobs and investment

Centre for Applied Health Research

The development of a major new Leeds-Bradford Centre for Applied Health Research (CAHR) a joint venture between the Universities of Leeds, Bradford and Bradford Institute for Health Research. The Centre will be a new build on the Bradford Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust site co-located/ near the Bradford Institute for Health Research (BIHR).

Faculty of Biological Sciences

The Faculty of Biological Sciences is rationalising its existing space to create efficiencies in space management. This means that the faculty will occupy in the region of 20,000m2 long term, and will manage its foreseeable future growth within that estate.

Montague Burton Halls of Residence

Creating improved social spaces to further enhance the student experience is at the heart of this £7.5M refurbishment of Montague Burton Halls of Residence.
This 30 month project will involve reconfiguring accommodation space to create larger blocks of living areas and the creation of a social space which will be a central hub of social activity for residents.

Generating Station Complex

The University of Leeds and Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust are investing £27M in sustainable power in partnership with Engie. This investment will ensure that the Generating Station Complex continues to effectively generate energy for the University Campus and Leeds General Infirmary Hospital for the next 30 years.

School of Earth and Environment

This investment of £7.5m in the School of Earth and Environment will create multi–disciplinary meeting and teaching spaces for staff and PhD students. These exciting plans for a £7.5m investment will ensure that the School remains at the forefront of research. The expansion will also create a new collaborative space for the Priestley International Centre for Climate and will mark the establishment of both the Priestley Centre research platform and a Leeds-Met Office Joint Research Unit – which will realise the Priestley Centre mission to promote interdisciplinary climate-solutions research of the highest standard.

Equality Access Improvements

The University community is made up of a wide range of people with diverse backgrounds and circumstances, which we value and regard as a great asset. As part of our continued commitment to equality and inclusion, we strive to create an environment where everyone can reach their full potential and have a real opportunity to participate in and contribute to our activities.

The work is set to be a key topic point of the presentation by Dennis Hopper, Director of Facilities Management at the University of Leeds. Join us to find out more at the Yorkshire Universities Development Plans Conference.