DMU shortlisted for Campus of the Future prize after meeting UN sustainability goals


Meeting four of the United Nation’s global Sustainable Development Goals has seen De Montfort University Leicester’s (DMU’s) £136million campus transformation shortlisted for a prestigious Green Gown Award.

GREEN GOWN main one

The awards recognise the exceptional sustainability initiatives being undertaken by universities and colleges across the UK and Ireland, and DMU has been nominated in the category ‘Campus of the Future’.

DMU’s multi-million pound investment has created an exciting and inspirational place to study and work, with sustainability in mind, and has already won several prestigious awards over the last 12 months.

The latest nomination, however, is particularly apt as DMU has become a driving force for universities globally to meet the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which want to ensure all people enjoy peace and prosperity by 2030.

The Green Gown nomination recognises DMU’s commitment to four of the 17 global goals through the work to transform the campus. They are:

Umesh Desai, DMU’s Director of Estates and Commercial Services, said: “I am pleased to see DMU’s campus transformation nominated for yet another prestigious award and happy to see that our commitment to the UN’s global goals has been recognised in this way.

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“When we set out to transform the campus, sustainability was top of the agenda at all times, with the aim of blending existing historical buildings with dramatic new structures.

“The use of renewable energy technology, the creation of a stunning green space and a public walkway through the campus, the renovation of the Grade I-listed Leicester Castle and meeting the highest environmental standards during and after construction has led to the creation of what I believe is one of the finest campuses in the UK. This is an award nomination we can all be proud of.”

GREEN GOWN castle

A spokesperson for the Green Gown Awards said: “This year’s UK and Ireland Green Gown Awards’ Finalists are leading the way with their commitment to the global sustainability agenda and proving the value that universities and colleges bring to the economy and society.

“The finalists emphasise an institution’s role in enabling and empowering young people to tackle pressing global issues to ensure they have a better tomorrow.”

DMU’s commitment to reaching the SDGs is clear in the new strategic plan, which sets out the mission, values and strategic aims of the university over the next five years. The plan has been crafted in line with the 17 SDGs.

This summer Maher Nasser, Director of the UN’s Department of Public Information Outreach Division, announced that DMU had been chosen by the United Nations Academic Impact group as a ‘designated hub’ for SDG number 16 – the first university to be chosen as such.

GREEN GOWN main two

The £42 million centrepiece to the university’s campus, which is home to the university’s art and design courses, has already won several design awards. It was named the best educational building in the East Midlands at the Local Authority Building Control (LABC) awards. Leicester Civic Society named it the best new building in Leicester praising it for being "in scale and harmony with its important historical surroundings". 

The building, designed by CPMG Architects, also won the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) East Midlands Award.

Meanwhile the £4.2 million Leicester Castle Business School restoration project has won the Regional Preservation and Rejuvenation Award, beating off competition from other construction projects across the region. The prestigious annual awards - which had more than 80 entries - celebrates the very best in the East Midlands' built environment.

Posted on Thursday 11 October 2018

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