University campus
Managing the estate
The University of Manchester is the largest single-site Higher Education institution in the country. It is made up of over 300 buildings that cover an area of around 300 acres. All land and buildings are maintained by the Directorate of Estates, whose responsibilities include:
- Car parking
- Cleaning
- Energy and water use
- Landscaping and maintenance of the green spaces
- Renovations
- Transport
- Waste disposal and recycling
The Directorate of Estates ensures that the University complies with all relevant legislation and endeavours to exceed minimum requirements where possible, having regard to best practice in the sector.
For further information:
The University has embarked on the largest programme of capital investment ever seen in British higher education with a £600 million plan to deliver 8 new buildings and 15 major refurbishment projects by 2010. Despite the new buildings, we have made a commitment to have as much green space after the completion of the building programme as we had before. The location of those spaces may be different from the original ones, but they will be pleasant areas for staff, students, our neighbours and visitors, and urban wildlife.
Following two separate bids to the Energy Saving Trust under the Major Photovoltaic Demonstration Programme we are installing Photovoltaic Cells on two of the major new build projects forming part of the current Capital Programme.
The projects are:
- The new Humanities building which will accommodate the Schools of Social Science and Environment and Development and is due for completion in May 2007. This project will be the second biggest solar scheme in Manchester after the CIS tower.
- The AMPPS project (Astronomy, Mathematics, Physics and Photon Science) which is due for completion in August 2007.
Sustainability is a key part of our Estates Master Plan and as a result:
- New buildings - as far as practicable, build in energy efficiency, waste management, transport and Environmental Management System (EMS) targets at the design stage
- Operation - assessment should be made of the use of recycled materials and high-efficiency devices in the day-to-day running of all buildings.
- Decommissioning - examine possibilities for the reduction of environmental impacts when the building reaches the end of its useful life, e.g. disposal of obsolete equipment, fabric of the building and consideration of local community during demolition.
Within the Directorate of Estates the Energy and Environmental Team manage all aspects of the University's energy and water usage and continually seek to improve efficiency and environmental performance to reduce waste.
The University's Environmental related policies:
- Environmental Policy
- Energy Policy (PDF) - You will need a PDF reader such as Adobe Acrobat (downloadable from Adobe) to view PDF file(s). PDF files open in a new window.
Achievements within the Directorate include:
- Winner of Silver Award in the Manchester Environmental Business Pledge. This scheme is run by Manchester City Council and recognises actions undertaken to engage with local environment projects. The University will be applying for the Gold award in the next round of applications.
- Energy Efficiency Accreditation (1998, re-accredited in 2004). This scheme recognises achievements in reducing energy usage and is now managed by the Carbon Trust.
- Partnership in the development of the 147 bus service which links the south and north campuses with Piccadilly Rail Station. The buses run on Green Gold Biodiesel, which emits less Co2 than conventional diesel and helps us to reduce our carbon footprint. Further information on the 147 service: