Building institutes of higher education

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: India currently has an 11% university enrolment ratio, totalling 1,40,00,000 students, compared to 60% in the US and Canada and 21% in Bric nations. This looks set to increase with commitment from the Indian government that they will work together with universities to increase the amount of eligible students who go on to pursue higher education.

The next logical question one anticipates is, “When demand for higher education is increasing in the country, where do you begin in designing new state-of-the-art facilities to meet that demand and how will it affect local infrastructure?”

Economies of scale

Broadly speaking, universities as a ‘physical entity’ are approached from either a campus perspective such as Warwick University or the London School of Economics, which groups facilities into one or two main campus areas, or a community perspective such as Open University or Oxford University, which have many schools across a number of areas that share common services. In the UK, universities either take the campus approach or consolidate their facilities into fewer geographical areas.

A benefit of having one central campus with shared facilities is that it allows students who are not from the local vicinity to live nearby and mix with other students. This has been emphasised recently in the UK, highlighting how students from different streams can benefit from sharing facilities, equipment and specialist teaching knowledge. Through consolidating facilities into one main campus, there is also an opportunity to reduce travelling and running costs, long-term maintenance costs and strengthen the branding of the university, giving students a strong identity that can stay with them for the rest of their lives.

Core focus

The key to planning a new campus or remodelling an existing one is to form the design around three core facilities of learning resource centre, social facilities and administrative support, which students use regardless of the programme they attend.

The learning resource centre provides more than just somewhere to access reading material. It is a place to source reference material from the internet and books, access digital media, download podcasts of lessons and to study independently outside structured classes. Other teaching accommodation, specialist facilities and administrative support could be clustered around these core shared functions or linked remotely as suits the individual institution.

If Indian universities are to keep pace with the government’s planned expansion, they should focus on these core functions that can bind the university across all streams. The core can help generate a vision for the new campus and the university, providing a nucleus for the masterplan.

Case study: Middlesex Varsity

Middlesex University, based in North London has been consolidating its facilities for several years. In the year 2000 it appointed professionals to help them accomplish their masterplan. The Hendon campus, with opportunities for growth and good local transport connections was identified as the core campus and over the last eight years, the campus has grown in size and will eventually be home to 20,000 students. By consolidating a number of community based facilities, Middlesex University has released assets across London to fund the expansion at Hendon.

Hendon has grown steadily in response to the needs of the university, allowing time for the infrastructure of the local area and the campus to keep pace. Redevelopment and expansion of the Hendon campus has been phased to minimise the disruption to students where possible and has allowed Middlesex University to firm up funding for the projects. BPR has worked closely with Middlesex University to deliver projects during term time when necessary and has understood the funding structures and Capital Receipts, achieved through the sale of community based assets needed to fund the projects.

The new campus now includes a new learning resource centre, chemical laboratories, lecture halls, soft landscaping and a larger student centre. The next phase of the development is currently in planning and will be home to the school of Arts and Education which will contain adaptable studios for fine art, photography, TV production and a central atrium for exhibitions.

In particular, the renovation of the 1930’s Quadrangle building at the centre of the campus has had an unprecedented impact on how the building is now used. An external courtyard which was once used for crossing from one side of the building to another is now used as the main reception area, a meeting point for students, performance area, café and is also hired out by corporates. The success of this project was difficult to predict, as the space created could not easily be defined. It took inspired vision to believe that the investment would achieve results. The Quadrangle is now fully booked and recently won a best building design award.

How does this apply to India

The government’s ‘five-year plan’ proposes an investment of Rs 850 billion for higher education, but the Ernst & Young report prepared for Ficci in November 2008 has also highlighted a funding shortfall of Rs 2.2 trillion which will need to be sought from other providers, including private partners and foreign entry providers.

The challenge for universities throughout India is whether the local infrastructure can keep pace with the growth of new campuses in urban, and more importantly, rural areas. There are amazing opportunities for Indian and foreign students to develop their learning in quality universities offering a vast range of subjects for much needed trades.

Global pressure on resources also requires that new infrastructure projects are delivered to the highest sustainable standards. New guidance is being developed by Indian courts in line with global standards now established by British Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Method in the UK and by Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design in the US, as used in Dubai. But the integrity of the standards can only be met if the ethos and systems of the university understand the cultural changes required. This can often be a far greater ambition than delivering sustainable buildings. It is how those buildings are used and managed that really matters.

Historically, children in India have been sent away to gurus for their education. The new opportunities for the planned, universities will similarly see students travelling around the country to continue their education rather than travelling abroad as some have before. Campus universities offer the opportunity for a purpose built environment in which students can share experiences and develop their skills together.

Many aspects of the approach to master planning and designing new university buildings are similar in UK and India. One should not overlook communicating with the end users for feedback and keeping them informed on progress and the greater opportunities the new campus will bring, when planning to consolidate premises, or when simply increasing the size of a campus.

It is inevitable that new ideas will meet with resistance, particularly in the traditional environment of well-established universities and colleges. If the infrastructure is to be delivered successfully to meet demand, it is important that a vision is clearly defined through an imaginative masterplan that is flexible and able to respond to the constantly changing demands of the curriculum.