Student Centre
A brand new space for our student community for generations to come
This exciting and innovative project will feature at its heart a new co-designed student centre and surrounding public realm; an inspiring project providing a space for all.
The University, along with all others in the sector, is facing increased costs. We are seeing the sharp end of the impact of inflation, as well as uncertainty in global markets, which all adds additional challenges.
In light of these financial pressures, we are currently reviewing our designs for the Student Centre to re-examine associated costs, before moving forward again with our plans.
Importantly, the future Student Centre will retain our core design principles: wellness standards, sustainability and accessibility.
As we review our plans, it gives us a chance to take into account all the feedback over the last 12 months. The ideas and opinions from our staff and student engagement and consultancy sessions continue to be invaluable and remain relevant, so thank you once again to everyone who has contributed so far.
We will share any new updates on the Student Centre as soon as we can. In the meantime, we won’t remove the previous design images on our web pages, so you can see the principles in action and follow them through into our future plans.
The building is one of the University’s transformational projects and is set to benefit all of our students, beyond our campus boundaries. It will deliver an interactive, purpose-built, multi-use space for all our students.
Home to both our students' unions, it will also form a physical and recognisable welcome point for anyone arriving at the University. Seamlessly integrating with the library to facilitate study, it will offer relaxing space to take time out, too.
The decisions we make about how we design and construct this student centre are critical to how we create this inspirational space. As well as state-of-the-art technology, we are placing health, wellbeing and sustainability at the centre of our thinking. And we are prioritising inclusivity and accessibility in every decision, to empower everyone in our diverse community to be able to explore all that student life can offer at York.
Multifunction spaces
flat floor spaces with capacities ranging from 50-300 people
Collaborative working
digital interactive walls making collaborative work easy
Energy efficient
solar panels, rooflights and solar controlled glazing
Health and wellness
placed at the heart of decision-making
Food outlets
an exciting variety offering a multitude of cuisines
New media studios
for student radio, TV and print news
Sustainable materials
carefully selected low maintenance, natural materials from renewable sources
Accessible
best practice accessibility at every stage of the design and build
"The plans for the Student Centre aim to make the building a busy hub of activity at the very forefront of campus. Student groups feature heavily in the designs through flexible flat floor spaces, events and meeting rooms, specialised areas for our highly successful media societies (such as studios and offices), and the accessibility of various services. We believe that the current plans for and discussions happening around the Student Centre mean it constitutes a fantastic opportunity for students to be provided with highly functional spaces catering to a range of specific needs."
Rohan Ashar, Activities Officer at the University of York Students' Union (YUSU)
Find out more
Aspirational and thoughtful design
Find out about project engagement, the timeline and location of the project as well as accessibility and sustainability.
An inspirational Student Centre
Find out what the building will include, how it will look and view floor-by-floor plan images.
“A purpose built student building will be a fantastic addition to our already vibrant campus and this design offers us that. The development of the design has ensured that the building will be for all students, on and off campus, and there will be something for everyone. GSA has been involved since the start and continues to actively support the project.”
Viviane Yuxin Cao, President of University of York's Graduate Students' Association
Your opportunity to feedback
We want this landmark building to be developed for you, with you - from start to finish.
We are already talking to many of you about your views of existing and future Student Centre requirements through a series of engagement sessions, meetings and Project Boards, and we will continue to ask for staff and student perspectives as the project evolves.
If you want to share your thoughts or feedback now, complete this form. Unfortunately we may not be able to respond to every query but we hope that these web pages and future communications will establish a shared understanding among staff and current and prospective students about our plans in the short, medium and longer-term.
“Delivering a new student centre is one of the transformational initiatives which will help realise the University’s Vision for York strategy. Sitting across from the library, it will be dedicated to student social, welfare and recreational activity. It will form part of a seamless student experience, connecting across study, student societies and student support services, and bridging across physical space and digital connectivity. It is a once in a generation opportunity to provide a purpose built, empowering and connected centre that is designed for students with real input from students.”
Charlie Jeffery, Vice-Chancellor and President at the University of York