EDUCATIONAL & STUDENT FACILITIES
peaceful places for students to meet and socialise away from a bustling cityscape, are all ways in which the buildings and campus environment begin to play a more important role in the student experience, and in their choices. Well-maintained outdoor space provides a welcoming and inclusive space for students, whilst living walls and rooftop gardens can make a real impact on students’ lives and studies.
The Malet Street Gardens, owned by the University of London with whom Nurture has had a longstanding relationship, are a perfect example of how carefully designed and managed outdoor spaces enhance the atmosphere on a campus. Judicious selection of new plants and regular upkeep of green areas transformed Malet Street Gardens, creating revitalised environments for students and local office workers to share.
Sustainability initiatives such as recycling and giving space to entice wildlife have also placed the University of London in the public eye as a campus which is driving environmental awareness forwards. Indeed, students are placing ever greater emphasis on sustainability, examining the degree to which campuses are aligning their facilities - and their management - with their own and all other young people’s deep concerns for the environment.
A campus can improve its environmental credentials in a myriad of ways, starting perhaps with sourcing building material locally, using organic plant feeds and pesticides, and making use of natural light for indoor areas as much as possible. These measures amongst others become living proof to discerning young adults that their university of choice is taking their responsibilities to heart. And, furthermore, living walls make for great Instagram posts.
Continuing along this lighter but no less important theme, students sharing their experience on social media is
perhaps one of the greatest assets that a campus has for bringing in future cohorts and in particular, overseas students. Prospective arrivals for future academic years will want to see that their university is an enriching environment, and that message enjoys greater impetus when it comes from fellow students.
Returning to the environment and the priority placed on this by students, campus vehicles and equipment deployed by facilities managers in the site’s daily upkeep is under closer scrutiny, as much from the wider supply chain as from students. At Nurture Landscapes Group, we have been pleased to witness a growing recognition in the FM and landscaping industry of the importance aligning and sharing goals and practices in preserving the environment’s health. The use of electric vehicles (EVs) on campuses has surged in recent years, to the extent that more than 100 universities in the UK are ranked specifically for their EV accessibility.
The complete electrification of a fleet, as with any major programme of change, takes time but pays dividends amongst an ever more eco-aware student community.
A stitch in time saves nine, they say, and nowhere is this truer than in FM. All the hard work in creating a welcoming campus estate is quickly undone without proper regard to the campus’s daily care and maintenance. Preventative maintenance and planning are bywords for avoiding greater cost and problems down the line. Throughout the year – academic and calendar – campus management is an ongoing process and is essential for giving a post-pandemic student generation every opportunity to thrive.
www.nurture-group.co.uk
www.tomorrowsfm.com
TOMORROW’S FM | 65
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