The School of the Built Environment comprises a set of academic disciplines associated with the built environment, including construction, building technologies, civil engineering, quantity surveying, building surveying, property investment and development, planning and development, transport, housing and environmental health together with hydrogen safety, fire safety, energy and sustainable technologies. It stresses important principles relating to sustainable development, institutional innovation, high quality pedagogy, and multi-disciplinary practices. The School offers a range of undergraduate and postgraduate degrees, together with a vibrant PhD community. The School of the Built Environment enjoys strong practice links through the accreditation of its degrees by a host of professional institutes and its industrial placements. Its record with respect to graduate employability is well recognised.
The School is a research-led and research-informed centre for excellence in the built environment. In the Research Assessment Exercise 2008, for example, its research was awarded an impressive scholarly profile: 15% of activities were classified as four star (world leading research), 50% rated at three star (internationally excellent), 30% two star (international quality) and 5% at one star (research of national quality). Collectively some 95% of activities were considered to be of international standing.
The School is active with respect to academic enterprise and knowledge transfer in the built environment. Academic enterprise projects support research in substantive and scholarly activities, and expand the portfolio of students learning in work-based environments. This potentially offers a fruitful vehicle for dealing with up-skilling and Continuing Professional Development as the life long learning paradigm takes hold.
At this time, with increasing economic uncertainty and environmental challenges the contribution of the built environment to societal well-being is more important than ever before. Attention is turning to using the built environment as a way of encouraging economic recovery, better infrastructure provision which respects the fragile environment, devising appropriate energy provision and technology in the existing housing stock, ensuring the best standards for sustainable communities and neighbourhoods. The School seeks to provide the appropriate skills for the future built environment and professional education for professional careers in a changing world.
Professor Greg Lloyd, Head of the School of the Built Environment
