Campus development

The University of York is a top-ranked institution worldwide. We are growing to sustain our international position, to compete effectively, to maintain our high ranking status, to drive the local and regional economy, and to meet the national higher education agenda. But we are committed to ensuring that we grow in a managed and sustainable way, and that the benefits of our success are shared with our local community.

Investment in campus

Since 2000, the University has invested more than £500 million to upgrade and expand its campus facilities, including £200 million we have spent on phase one of our Heslington East expansion, which is the largest single investment made by any UK University.

A further £60 million is being invested throughout 2011/2012 to deliver a new sports village, a new Langwith College, library refurbishments and new chemistry research facilities.

For students studying at York, our investment means major improvements to existing campus facilities, and the construction of new academic and social buildings, study spaces and college accommodation.

Buildings

One of the academic objectives for the campus expansion is to bring together people from different backgrounds to create new opportunities for learning. The designs of the buildings will facilitate this by creating common space for both social interaction and learning, while retaining the specialist needs for individual departments.

The buildings are designed to be distinctive and sympathetic to the environmental setting. The planning development brief has set an upper limit on the density of the development and the height of the buildings is constrained to minimise their visual impact.

Awards for our buildings

The new buildings developed on our Heslington Campuses have received numerous awards and accolades for their planning concepts and design.

  • The first phase of Heslington East and the superb Ron Cooke Hub building, which sits at the heart of the campus development, received Gold Awards at the RIBA Northern Network Awards 2011 in Newcastle. More information
  • The masterplan for the University of York's ambitious £750 million development at Heslington East has won a 2011 Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) Award for architectural excellence. More information

BREEAM rating

The University is aiming to achieve a 'Very Good' BREEAM rating for the buildings on Heslington East - BREEAM is the world's most widely used environmental assessment method for buildings.

BREEAM sets the standards for best practice in sustainable development and demonstrates a level of achievement. It has become the de facto measure of a building’s environmental performance.

Why the University aiming for ‘Very Good’ BREEAM rating rather than ‘Excellent’

Most of our new buildings over the past few years have been based on Heslington East. This campus expansion is being developed on a green field site, which immediately put the University at a disadvantage in the BREEAM rating. Hence the University is aiming for a BREEAM rating of ‘Very Good’ as a minimum on the new development. We will aim to achieve ‘Excellent’ ratings if possible, and aim to do so on our Heslington West new building developments.

Archeological dig

Find out more about what we found during our archeological dig before starting the Heslington East development.

Did you know...?

  • The University is only allowed to build on 25% of the campus footprint
  • The Catalyst on Heslington East is designed to help new business start-ups

  • The oldest surviving human brain in Britain, dating back at least 2000 years to the Iron Age, was unearthed during excavations on the site of the University of York’s campus expansion at Heslington East

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