ABSTRACT
Modern universities vary hugely, having differing emphases on subjects and research. Their locations and student base are also diverse. This chapter provides broad guidance for designers of sustainable new university facilities, but this guidance could be extended to upgrading or extending existing buildings. The traditional university model has been linked with city life in Europe since the Universities of Bologna and Paris were founded in 1088 and 1150 and later in Oxford and Cambridge. Many universities evolved into college-based institutes – the earliest include Paris, Oxford, Cambridge and, later, Durham. There followed an explosion of university creation in major cities across the UK and Ireland from 1828 to 1909. From 1992, over seventy new universities were created from former polytechnics, 'university colleges' and higher education institutes. Waves of university construction following the World Wars, driven by government policy aimed at social mobility, led to a proliferation of sylvan campuses across Britain.
