Something more than buildings

I hope when people visit our campus they get a real sense of what Manchester Met is, and what we are trying to do.

We’re striving to get better all the time, in everything we do — to be a sector-leading, world-class institution.

I certainly felt it, during my recruitment in 2021. As I walked around the University’s buildings and spaces for the first time and met my future colleagues, I started to understand the ambition and sense of community that define Manchester Met.

You can see that ambition in the investments in our estate — a commitment to creating places where people genuinely want to be.

Our staff, our students, our visitors — we work exceptionally hard to make all of them feel welcome on campus. We aim to give them spaces, places and facilities that help them succeed, whether that’s as students, teachers, researchers or professional staff.

Sometimes our focus is a building. And we do construct award-winning buildings.

The Institute of Sport. The School of Digital Arts. The Archway Halls, which is our flagship student accommodation. The creative hub for arts and humanities at Grosvenor East. I’m enormously proud of these buildings, and the teams that made them a reality. They would grace any campus in the world.

They don’t happen by accident.

Success factors

Our philosophy is that the most important factor in the success of a building is the people using it. That’s where the expertise is. That’s the experience we need to tap into. That’s why we create opportunities for building users to shape everything — from the vision and initial design through to construction and the way it runs when it’s open. We don’t just toss them the keys, and expect them to make the best of it.

We get great buildings because we can bring together a wide range of brilliant people and make the most of their combined passion, commitment and experience.

Transformational projects

As I look along our Road to 2030, I can see a pipeline of other transformational capital investment projects. Our new £130m science and engineering building will open its doors next year. We will invest further in the world-class Manchester School of Architecture, the Manchester Fashion Institute, and a full redevelopment of our library facilities. The next generation of student accommodation also features in our plans, and all at a standard expected for a progressive university in a world-leading city.

We will transform our offer to international students too, with massive upgrades to the accommodation and teaching facilities for those who join us through an embedded study centre. We’re cementing Manchester’s standing as a truly great, global city.

And we will continually invest in our heritage estate, safeguarding the buildings that capture the character and rich history of the University.

We can’t create places where people want to be without making sure our green spaces and public realm are safe, accessible and welcoming, so there will be major investment there too.

But what we’re really trying to do — it’s about something more than just buildings.

We’re trying to embed a culture in which how we work is as important as what we do. Which prizes inclusion and collaboration. Which values the efficient operation and maintenance of our estate as highly as its creation. Which recognises the climate crisis, and enables us to play our part in tackling it.

Sustainability is central

Manchester Met is the UK’s most sustainable university, according to People and Planet. That’s a really amazing accomplishment. When you’re at the top, you’ve got to work extra hard to stay there.

So as we plan for 2030, we’ll honour our commitment to get to Net Zero by 2038 — 12 years ahead of the national target.

Our carbon management plan has become pivotal to our strategic planning process. It informs the decarbonisation of our estate and our capital investments. It shapes how we operate our estate, including the energy we use. We’re already investing in generating and storing solar energy, and air source heat pump technologies. We’ll do more and go further. Our students and partners in the city expect no less.

It’s not going to be easy. I’ve run large estates for long enough to know that it never is. There’s always something. In recent years we have contended with a global pandemic, rampant inflation, an energy crisis, volatile labour markets and much, much more.

A brilliant team

We can only do that because of the team we have. Our people and approach carry us through tough times.

I’ve met nearly all 600 or so of the Estates, Facilities and Capital Development team since I joined the University in 2021. Whether they are the domestic assistants, campus security, facilities management teams and engineers who run and maintain our buildings, or the project management teams who build and help realise the vision, I’m incredibly grateful for their unwavering commitment.

Through them we get a campus that embodies what Manchester Met is and strives for, and that’s a place I want to be.