Association of University Directors of Estates

Legacy of 1960's Buildings, AUDE Research Project

AUDE Research Project: The Legacy of 1960's University Buildings: A guide to assist in making the replace or refurbish decision (LGMF 115) Project completion:  March 2008

The Association of University Directors of Estates commissioned research in 2007/8 into one of the big issues in Higher Education estates today – how to renew a very large proportion of the property portfolio that was built in the 1960’s.   The project was supported by the Higher Education Funding Council for England.

The key question addressed was:  Refurbish or Replace?

Using case studies, alongside investigation into how other sectors have addressed the issues, the research resulted in a report and ‘toolkit’ of helpful advice to assist institutions with the decision making process.  A full consideration of sustainability issues was included.

Four Key Points emerged from the Study:

  • 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% 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.

A summary brochure of key points and emerging issues was produced and can be accessed in pdf format from the link at the bottom of this page.

Outputs from the project, also available below, were:  

  • The Legacy of 1960's University Buildings, A Report.  Commissioned by AUDE and supported by HEFCE, March 2008. 
  • The Legacy of 1960's University Buildings, Case Studies.
  • The User Guide to the Toolkit.
  • Refurbishment Solutions.
  • Matrix tool.
  • Filter Tool.