Social Impact Award for Student Life Building
Creating social value is a fundamental aspect of our design process. We are therefore extremely proud that Teesside University Student Life Building has been named the national winner of the RICS Social Impact Education Award 2020.
The RICS Social Impact Awards judges schemes on their human, social and environmental impact, as well as the collaboration and innovation involved in their design and delivery.
A new focal point on Teesside University’s Middlesbrough campus, Student Life Building provides an open and welcoming environment where students can access support services, alongside a varied mix of learning spaces. Having emerged from consultation with staff and students conducted as part of our development of the university’s ten-year masterplan and estates strategy, the building provides everything needed to support student life outside of the seminar room and lecture theatre.
This strategic project supports the university’s aims to deliver an excellent student experience with wellbeing at its heart. Positioned in a highly visible and accessible location in the campus heart, the building is designed to overcome any stigma which may prevent students from seeking support by removing barriers which may discourage access, including removing the distinction between ‘learning’ and ‘support’ spaces.
During the building’s opening ceremony, Chris Skidmore, Minister of State for Universities, Science, Research and Innovation, said: “I’m delighted to see that the design of the building at every stage has been student-led and that ... it will be entirely centred around the need for working tirelessly towards student welfare.”
The building has been extremely well received by the university and its student body. Malcolm Page, Chief Operating Officer at Teesside University, said: “From the outset, our architects and contractors demonstrated a real understanding of the brief, and brought an innovative approach to deliver a superb facility, which will make a real difference to the lives of our students.”
This accolade adds to a string of social impact awards we have received in recent years, having been presented with the Special Award for Community Impact and Engagement by the Civic Trust twice in five years (Hebburn Central, 2016 and Beacon of Light, 2020). Student Life Building also becomes our third national RICS Award in the last four years, following Community Benefit Awards for The Word (2017) and Beacon of Light (2019). More importantly, these hugely popular facilities continue to deliver social value to the communities they were designed to serve.
