University Refurbishment: Elevating Aesthetics & Revitalising Campuses
It’s vitally important to create vibrant and inspiring learning environments on university campuses if educators want to see their students thrive by being engaged and productive. A well-planned university refurbishment is an ideal opportunity to do this in a way that is comprehensive and sustainable.
Turn to Bell for your university campus painting and revitalisation projects. With more than 35 years of experience, we can help you achieve your goals on time and on budget
Creating Vibrant Learning Environments
Campus aesthetics have a significant impact on student engagement, well-being, and academic success, and it begins from the moment they first set foot on campus. A well-designed, well-maintained attractive campus creates a positive first impression that helps inform students’ approach to studying at that institution.
Campus aesthetics can also help foster a sense of student identity and belonging, provide spaces for relaxation and connecting with nature, promote concentration, encourage learning within classrooms and study outside of classrooms, and inspire creativity. Good campus design also fosters social connections and community engagement and promotes environmental stewardship and sustainability.
Various innovative design trends and strategies can be used in university refurbishment to enhance the visual appeal of campuses, often while also enhancing various functionalities. These trends include:
Flexibility: Flexible designs such as flexible furniture, sliding wall panels, and fold-and-nest desks.
Zoning: Zoning allows for diverse learning modes in one space.
Open, flowing space: Open, flowing spaces with high ceilings stimulate engagement and focus among students for an enhanced learning experience.
Colour and materiality: Considering colour psychology when planning the refurbishment of a university sees colour choices based on their effects on behaviour and mood while also accentuating zoning.
Natural light and nature: Research has found that students perform better when working in natural light, while proximity to nature through access to outdoor spaces or biophilic interior design can boost mental health and well-being.
Community spaces: Dynamic community spaces enhance students’ sense of identity and place and create opportunities for interdisciplinary encounters.
Air quality: Good quality fresh air and ventilation promote respiratory health and boost learning. Research shows that poor air quality negatively affects student academic performance and attendance.
Bell has successfully transformed various university spaces through painting, décor, and landscaping. A few examples of our university campus painting and refurbishment include internal redecoration works for classrooms and other areas at St Columba’s College, St Albans, and pre-paint repairs and internal redecoration of lecture theatres, classrooms, corridors, kitchens, bathrooms, stairwells, and toilets at Courtauld Institute of Art, Vernon Square, London. Our collaborative approach enables us to tailor solutions to meet the unique needs and culture of each university.
Longevity and Cost-Effectiveness
Durability and cost-effectiveness are important factors in every university refurbishment. Finding paint and materials that offer the best value for money requires comparing them in terms of longevity, maintenance requirements, and overall value, as follows:
Oil-based paint: Durable and long-lasting, water-resistant and stain-blocking, easy to clean, usually cheaper than water-based paint, less environmentally friendly, good value for money.
Water-based paint: Not as durable as oil-based paint, more difficult to clean than oil-based paint, usually more expensive than oil-based paint, more environmentally friendly, but still good value for money.
Emulsion: Commonly matt and silk paints, low durability, can be difficult to clean, and less value for money.
Gloss and semi-gloss: Durable and hard-wearing, easy to clean, limited applications but good value for money.
Enamel: Durable and hard finish, easy to clean, and good value for money.
Masonry paint: Durable, long-lasting, weatherproof, easy to clean, and good value for money.
Cladding: Durable, easy to clean, insulates structural walls and protects them from the elements, and good value for money.
Timber and weatherboard: Durable, good sound and heat properties, sustainable, low maintenance, and good value for money.
Stone: Strong and durable, excellent insulator, low maintenance, easy to clean, sustainable but expensive.
Concrete: Durable and strong, low maintenance, easy to clean, environmentally unfriendly yet good value for money.
In addition to choosing the appropriate paints and other materials for the refurbishment of a university and university campus painting, it’s also important to aim at maximising the lifespan of campus improvements while staying within budget constraints. Use the following tips to achieve those aims:
1. Set a realistic budget.
2. Prioritise refurbishment needs over wants.
3. Consider cost-saving alternatives.
4. Negotiate with suppliers and contractors.
5. Optimise space efficiency through spatial analysis and ergonomic design.
6. Consider long-term savings through energy-efficient upgrades and using sustainable materials.
Having worked on more than 500 educational facilities in the summer close-down period in one year alone, Bell has an excellent track record of delivering high-quality, long-lasting results that offer excellent value for universities.
Sustainability and Environmental Responsibility
Sustainability and environmental responsibility have become unavoidable issues in university refurbishment projects as more institutions aim to become zero carbon campuses. To be truly environmentally responsible when approaching the refurbishment of a university, it’s vital that sustainability influences every aspect of the process.
Refurbishment projects should be guided by the basic principles of sustainable architecture. These include optimised site potential, optimised energy use, water conservation and protection, optimised building space and material use, enhanced quality of indoor environments, and optimised operational and maintenance practices.
Procurement managers and other stakeholders can choose from a variety of eco-friendly paint options, energy-efficient lighting solutions, and landscaping practices that promote sustainability when planning for university refurbishment. Among them are:
• Low-VOC (volatile organic compound) paints
• Natural paint alternatives such as clay paints and mineral paints
• Recycled paint products
• Solar-powered lighting
• LED lighting
• Sustainable site analysis and planning
• Water-efficient irrigation systems
• Rainwater harvesting
• Indigenous and adapted plant species suited to the local climate
• Biodiverse planting choices
Other practices include green stormwater management such as green roofs, bioswales, rain gardens, and permeable paving, and energy efficient design such as optimised vegetation placement and shading strategies.
Bell’s commitment to sustainable practices is demonstrated through, among other things, our use of low-VOC paints, recycling initiatives, and LEED-certified projects.
Our external repair and redecoration of student accommodation and the Boat House at Christ’s College, Cambridge is an example of how Bell has helped universities reduce their environmental footprint while enhancing their campus aesthetics by specifying paint which guaranteed quality and longevity for at least five years.
The successful and sustainable refurbishment of a university requires careful thought and a multi-faceted approach that balances aesthetics, value for money, and environmental responsibility. This is an approach we know well.
Choose Bell for Renovation Services
Contact Bell for your university refurbishment projects.
