Take a look back at our 2025 sessions focused on Creating campuses that inspire learning
Stephanie Kyle
Floyd Slaski Architects
Neurodiversity Toolkit
Learn how to improve the design of university estates for neurodivergent people using new guidance, introduced by one of its authors. This session outlines three key tools—a webinar, design guide, and RIBA-aligned Work Stage checklist—developed to address sensory and information processing barriers in the built environment. Based on Stephanie’s thesis research and grounded in PAS 6463:2022 and BS 8300, the guidance offers practical strategies for making inclusive decisions from briefing to handover.
Jenny Shaw
Unite Students
Today’s applicants, tomorrow’s students
Drawing on four years of the Unite Students Applicant Index, this presentation highlights trends among the applicant population and what they mean for Higher Education Estates.
Dr Joel Callow
Beyond Carbon Associates Ltd
UWE Purdown View Learning from Design & Construction of UK’s largest Passivhaus Development
Passivhaus works brilliantly for large-scale higher education buildings. Here we showcase the largest certified UK student residential building at UWE, covering the choice of Passivhaus by the client team and the design of Passivhaus and how it differed from business as usual. The construction of a set of buildings of this scale is always a challence, which the team worked through to deliver an outstanding outcome. We highlight lessons learned and review the early post-occupancy findings from the first few months of operation.
Dr Cindy Walters
Walters & Cohen Architects
Enhancing campus culture: creating identity and community through design
Cindy presents her experience of designing student housing, estates
strategies and multi-functional spaces at:
- Newnham College, Cambridge: making a café the heart of the community;
bedrooms/kitchens that support wellbeing; enhancing a college’s idenitity
through contemporary design - Murray Edwards College, Cambridge: revitalising existing (Grade II* listed)
spaces for wellbeing – to encourage people to linger, study and chat;
decarbonising listed buildings - Pembroke College, Oxford: decarbonising more listed buildings to create a
warmer dining room and improve bedrooms - Student housing for young women in Lahore: enhancing student living
abroad - And finally: the value of meaningful collaboration – make sure your voice is
heard