Connected campus

Connected_campus_CGI

Welcome to Connected Campus – UEL's £20M+ investment programme to improve our three campuses by creating more pioneering, vibrant and welcoming spaces for people to study, work and live.

What is Connected Campus?

Connected Campus is the UEL's multimillion-pound investment programme to improve its three campuses by creating more pioneering, vibrant and welcoming spaces for people to study, work and live. The programme started in April 2021 and is led by the Projects and Estates Development (PED) team.

During phase one, we invested £20m and: created outdoor focal points (Campus Hearts) at all campuses; showcased our enhanced visual identity and clear signage; developed new places; and introduced new learning and teaching spaces to pioneer future careers in a changing world.

Connected Campus 2022

Building on the success of these works, we are now in phase two and will be developing our estate further to create more spaces that connect the UEL community.

 

Docklands

  • We will develop the SportsDock to make the facilities even better. The gym and fitness centre rooms are undergoing a refurbishment with new state-of-the-art equipment, a specially designed indoor cycling studio for live instructor-led and on-demand classes, plus improvements to the changing facilities.
  • We’ll be relocating Costa Coffee in the West Building to improve access to University Square and introducing The Merchant – a new social and entertainment VIP space that will act as a multi-functional venue for staff and students to use day and night.  
  • The entrance to the AVA building will be transformed with wide windows connecting passers-by to the creative work displayed in the re-launched Way Out East Gallery.  

 

Stratford

  • We will develop our ground-breaking Hospital and Primary Care Training Hub facility. During phase one we created wards, an at home environment, a teaching space, a boardroom and placed an ambulance outside. During phase two we will develop this building by creating a new flexible working space that resembles an accident and emergency department, further enhancing UEL’s ambitions to offer an inclusive and inter-professional careers 1st learning experience.
  • A student oasis will be created adjacent to the Hub at University House, along with a self-service coffee pod machine creating a truly relaxing space for students, and we’ll be giving the Dome a new look so it can better serve students and staff as an events and entertainment venue.

 

University-wide

  • Building on our partnership with Siemens, we are starting to implement our net-carbon zero programme of works which will include LED lighting and building management system upgrades across all campus.
  • Across Docklands and Stratford, we’ll be introducing activity trails (sports, discovery and wellbeing) so you can actively explore all the campuses and learn more about them.
  • We’ll be creating enhanced and accessible Career Zone areas at all campuses to provide more support and guidance for students. 

Sustainability

These works aim to create fun and dynamic spaces for the UEL community to thrive today, tomorrow and for years to come. While we make these improvements, we clearly have UEL’s vision in mind to be the most sustainable university in London. In-line with this, the Connected Campus team works with local suppliers to create sustainable outcomes, carefully considering where resources come from and maximising equipment by efficiently keeping these in circulation for as long as possible. The programme also supports innovative solutions to recover and regenerate materials no longer need so they can be used for other purposes.

Future transformations

The above work will take place during summer 2022 and there are plans for additional works to take place later in the academic year and beyond, including:

  • To support our new ways of working and different workstyles, we'll be introducing new staff workspaces to support agile working and collaboration.
  • At Docklands we will transform the Knowledge Dock building and develop a new, leading facility. The Royal Docks Centre for Sustainability (RDCS) will create a place for impactful engagement and workspace which delivers positive growth benefits for the UEL community as well as residents, communities and businesses across the Royal Docks and Newham.
  • An enhanced reception within the CC Building at Stratford will become an engaging and vibrant focal point for anyone coming to UEL.
  • In the longer-term we have extensive plans to develop the Stratford campus. These include student accommodation village, sports, student support services and more academic space.
  • An assessment for the re-orientation of the entrance to the building at University Square Stratford to provide more kerb appeal, a welcoming entrance and showcase space.