This week I was at an (online) event looking at estates. I was chairing the first half of the event and presenting in the second half. The event was entitled Next steps for university estates in the UK.

It was a really interesting online conference with a keynote from the CEO of AUDE, along with panel sessions on a range of topics. There was quite a focus on net zero and decarbonisation. I personally found the discussion on electrification of university campuses really interesting. Something I think I might write a longer blog post about, as the move from oil and gas use to electric in the main for heating and hot water is something that the sector is looking at, as they aim to achieve their net zero ambitions.

My own session was on internationalisation and the impact that this could have on estates and the way they are managed. I spoke about student mobility, what is happening in Europe with the Higher Education Interoperability Framework and the potential synergy and alignment this has with the LLE aspirations in the UK.

With our third heatwave I did head into the office, which is air-conditioned (partly powered by solar panels). I enjoyed reading David Kernohan’s article on keeping cool on campus.

I think this section is something that the sector should take note of.

Direct sunlight heats the structure of a building – bricks, glass, concrete, roof tiles – and these elements heat the inside, often for hours after the direct sunlight has gone. Dense foliage from fast-growing trees is a cheap (far cheaper than altering and adapting the building) and renewable way to cool down, all while lowering pollution. And, with appropriate maintenance, it looks fantastic.

Many of the campuses I have worked on have been very hot in heatwave weather. The cooling functionality was often not sufficient. Having also been involved in many new builds, often the planning restrictions meant that for environmental reasons air conditioning wasn’t allowed to be installed and in many cases would have been quite expensive to run.

I was involved in various consultancy meetings this week. My main role in these are about quality assurance.