Design for new Student Centre agreed
Posted on 24 May 2022
One of the university’s transformational initiatives, the new structure will be built at the heart of campus west, close to the library. The building will be surrounded by new landscaping and the demolition of other buildings will open up the central area of the campus. The total cost for the project will be around £60m and will take a number of years to fully complete.
The winning design encompasses a large double height atrium that leads into a large open area that could be used for events. There will be office space for our student unions and frontline student services, dining areas, a variety of smaller event and exhibition spaces, quieter collaborative study space as well as a rooftop garden and other planted areas. The building has been designed with as much flexibility as possible to ensure it will be suitable for a variety of uses for several decades to come.
With smart digital capabilities and built primarily from low maintenance, natural materials with solar panels, rooflights and solar controlled glazing the building aims to be highly functional as well as home from home for students.
Professor Charlie Jeffery, Vice-Chancellor of the University of York said, “This building is a once in a generation opportunity for us to enhance our existing student experience with an iconic, technologically smart, student focused space for all of our students, wherever they are. Our architects have delivered stunning buildings for other organisations and have designed us a building that will not only look striking and signal to visitors that they have arrived on our campus, but will also offer our students a dedicated space to relax on campus. Some of our students and staff have already been involved in the design process and we intend talking with many more of them over the coming months to ensure this really is a building for students, designed with students.”
Work on the building is expected to begin on site in September 2023 with some preliminary works to prepare the area starting in spring 2023. While the design of the building has been agreed (subject to relevant planning permissions) work to confirm the breakdown of the internal spaces will continue over the next few months and involve consultations with students and other stakeholders.
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