Estates and Buildings - Durham University

Welcome to Estates and Buildings

The Estates Department provides a number of essential services to Durham University and is responsible for managing, maintaining and developing the infrastructure and building fabric of the various campuses.

The Estates Department provides a diverse range of services to the University including:

Maintaining and regularly reviewing a maintenance programme which takes account of short, medium and long term needs of all buildings and University grounds.
Implementing the works identified and funded within the various maintenance programmes and operating a system for dealing with day to day requirements. This includes the continuing provision of an out of hours emergency service.
Providing a professional technical service to the University for the design, construction and procurement of new buildings and adaptation works to existing buildings.
Identifying and recording the use of space and advising on ways of increasing space utilisation.
Procuring and managing utilities and services.
Providing postal and security arrangements and advice to the University.

The University Estate

The University estate is on two sites: in Durham City and Queen's Campus, Stockton. It comprises over 318 buildings ranging in age from 1076 A.D. to the present day; collectively they have a gross internal floor area of nearly 340,000 m².

The property base in Durham is fragmented with the buildings spread geographically across the centre of the city which provides both benefits and challenges to the University. In contrast, Queen's Campus is an entirely modern and compact construction.

Durham Castle and the buildings around Palace Green are part of a World Heritage Site, 3 properties are scheduled ancient monuments, 4 properties are listed Grade 1, 79 properties are listed Grade 2 and 60 properties are within the City's conservation area. Approximately 17% of the University's estate is over 150 years old.

The University is embarking on a major new strategic development which involves a £60M investment in the new 'Palatine Centre', relocation of some departments and support services, and the disposal or refurbishment of some existing properties. Rationalisation of the estate will provide the opportunity to dispose of, or significantly improve inefficient buildings whilst ensuring it makes maximum use of its retained assets. The University has a clear objective to improve the quality of facilities wherever possible and it is therefore essential that its resources are utilised in the most cost-effective manner