Heather Evans, Head of SKA Consultancy at Rider Levett Bucknall, explains how the higher education sector is leading the way with regard to embedding well-being into estate design. 

Eighteen months ago saw the launch of SKA Higher Education, a new sustainability assessment method designed by universities, for universities. Its purpose - to drive sustainable good practice in higher education interior fit-out and refurbishment projects. At RLB we were one of the development partners for the scheme alongside the Association of University Directors of Estate (AUDE) and the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS).

The scheme has been well received and is being actively adopted by university estates teams including the University of Liverpool, the London School of Economics (pictured below) and University College London. So far, so good. But what is really interesting is how the motivational drivers for applying SKA principles to projects have changed in the last 12 months. Previously, environmental sustainability was the key motivator. Now well-being is slap-bang centre stage, mirroring how seriously universities are taking the mental and physical health of their students and employees.

SKA has dedicated measures to improving occupant well-being, covering a range of elements which can impact the health (both mental and physical) of those utilising buildings. Principles range from looking at lighting design to replicate natural light cycles and ventilation systems to optimise air quality measures, through to designing spaces to encourage collaboration between students and staff.

In reality, a focus on improved well-being is, to use a cliché, a no brainer. Recent statistics such as the following from UK Green Building Council speak for themselves:

• 41.5% improvement in the health of students and teachers
• 25% improvement on student test scores due to good lighting and ventilation
• 10-25% improvement in mental function and memory due to outside view
• 18% increase in productivity due to improved daylighting

Although Higher Education is not alone in switching its focus to well-being - other sectors that we work with at RLB are doing the same - it is leading the way with regard to carrying out post occupancy reviews. As experienced assessors we are working with a number of universities who, having embedded SKA principles, are now revisiting the project to assess how it is rating against those measures.

One example of this is ‘LSE LIFE’ at the London School of Economics, which created a new space for students’ personal, professional and academic development, as well as collaborative and independent study.

Jon Emmett, Head of Sustainability at LSE, was keen to see a space that encouraged informal interactions and was flexible to enable multiple modes of use, thereby getting the most out of the space whilst enhancing sustainability and wellbeing.  The team demonstrated sustainability leadership whilst enhancing occupant wellbeing (LSE LIFE achieved an impressive two SKA awards - SKA Office Gold and SKA HE Silver).  This holistic approach created excellent outcomes overall. 

A Post Occupancy Evaluation was conducted among users of the space.  In total 110 students and 10 staff were interviewed, with a fantastic 93% of student users of LSE LIFE being pleased with the space, stating appreciation for the comfortable, informal space, and the easy accessibility.  They said it is successful in supporting learning, bringing students together, and interlinking with the rest of the LSE campus.  Staff comments included that “it’s a world class standard, enabling LSE to compete internationally to attract top students”.

There was particular positive feedback for the tall windows, which let in large amounts of natural light.  Acoustic levels are good, creating an informal space that enables talking (unlike the silent library), whilst not being too noisy.  Thermal comfort was also praised.  For the team at LSE, this feedback demonstrates that taking an integrated approach to sustainability, wellbeing, and functionality has been successful in creating a high-performance space with great user satisfaction. 

Post-occupancy review is an area we see growing in importance as universities rightly scrutinise the investment in their estate for operational effectiveness and efficiency.  The Higher Education sector undertakes thousands of refurbishments a year. SKA can allow for a method of benchmarking sustainability and well-being across an estate, and can be easily applied through estate strategies/environmental principles/design guidelines. Embedding well-being principles as part of sustainability best practice is a great opportunity to help the higher education sector remain future fit.