Leeds Arts University

A new gallery and 230-seat auditorium designed to serve as a performance space for the University’s Popular Music course are situated are at the heart of the new public facing University. A new reception and café, both open to the public provide a warm welcome to visitors into the campus.

The proposed site for the new build elements of the work was a surface carpark and formerly the site of a local authority school. Site investigations revealed deep areas of filled ground and massive voids, and it subsequently transpired the old school had included a two-storey basement with a swimming pool, all of which remained in the ground along with numerous live services serving surrounding properties.

As part of an enabling works contract, all this existing construction, including asbestos and other contamination was removed and the site was prepared for the main works by refilling with site won / site processed structural fill. This avoided circa 1,850 lorry movements compared to removing fill material off site and re-importing. In total 8,035m3 of existing material was excavated on site with 99.9% re-used or recycled in total.

The 6500m² new build links through into the existing building at each floor level, via an existing stair core. Creating a new main entrance at the ground level intersection between old and new, the project also called for an existing lecture theatre to be stripped out and repurposed as a new public gallery space.

Beyond the public areas, a variety of specialised and versatile teaching spaces are accommodated. Film and photography studios are equipped to support high-level creative work. Acoustically separated music practice rooms and production studios cater specifically to the University’s fashion and music courses. Multi-purpose classrooms offer flexible spaces for general teaching purposes. Additionally, the new building includes an employment services hub dedicated to supporting student career development. The reference library, featuring bookable research and study rooms and a postgraduate study suite, enhances academic resources for students and staff.

We worked closely with a specialist fit-out sub-contractor and consultant acoustician on the design of particularly sensitive spaces such as the performance, film and recording studios. These acoustically isolated rooms within rooms are heavily serviced, and require careful coordination and detailing to ensure that service runs do not compromise acoustic separation, and ventilation within the rooms does not become audible on recordings.

The new 6500m² building is strategically positioned adjacent to the gable end of the existing structure, following the street line seamlessly after the demolition of existing balconies and a large canopy. The design facilitates connectivity between the new and old structures at every floor level through an existing stair core, replacing a strip of curtain walling to create these linkages.

The design approach for Leeds Arts University’s new building exemplifies thoughtful integration, collaborative design, and a commitment to creating a functional yet inspiring educational environment. By merging the new with the old and carefully planning each phase of construction, the project not only meets the practical needs of the university but also enhances its architectural legacy.

Our approach was to seek to engage with the university stakeholders and challenge our assumptions to develop the design through continuing engagement. As the client developed their business plan to support the development, we worked directly with the Vice Chancellor and their senior team through a series of workshops to develop proposals for communal space and teaching spaces. This process included touring existing facilities and discussing what worked well and would did not, as well as looking at other examples of similar buildings and discussing which elements we could borrow. We also worked with the SMT to develop an external visual identity for the University which would draw on their heritage, but also look to the future and present a modern face to the public in the form of a new main entrance.

The outcome of these workshops were further developed with internal stakeholders (both academics and students), and presentations to external stakeholders such as the Local Authority and Civic Trust. Through this process, an emphasis on performance and collaboration came to drive the programming of the building. Teaching spaces are organised around a series of three double height volumes, a design which seeks to celebrate the interactions of staff, students and the public by providing spaces for exhibitions, performances and collaborative working. These spaces range from tightly programmed and controlled through to informal or flexible areas open to all students and building visitors to use.

The University’s emphasis on collaboration also fed into the production of the architectural details and procurement of some key features of the new building, with DLA working to incorporate designers and artists from different fields input in the design of the building.

We strategically placed windowless black box spaces (such as photography studios) on the elevations adjacent to residential properties, and planning the building around a series of double height spaces which serve to bring natural daylight into the deepest areas of the plan. These double height spaces also serve a natural hybrid ventilation strategy which is employed across a large portion of the building. Roof mounted Monodraught cowls draw hot air out at high level and provide fresh air, supported by exposed thermal mass which provides thermal inertia and free cooling through a nighttime purge vent. Additional VRF units are provided only where required as supplementary cooling, whilst the envelope employs low U-values and excellent air tightness, achieving 2.2m3/hr/m² at 50Pa.

The building structure trades off the use of concrete to provide thermal mass, against the higher embodied carbon of in-situ concrete compared to a steel frame structure. The option to use a concrete frame was studied, however the long clear spans required over auditoriums etc. meant that the mass of concrete required structurally in these areas could not be justified from an environmental or economic perspective. Conversely a steel frame with composite floors could easily achieve the required spans with far less embodied energy but could not support the hybrid ventilation strategy by providing free cooling. The solution was a steel frame primary structure, with a novel “slim-floor” design whereby pre-cast concrete floor planks sit onto the bottom flange of steel beams. The PCU’s provide thermal mass and as the steel beams are within the depth of the concrete slab, the soffit is flat with no downstands, maximising the available headroom and easing services coordination. Providing thermal mass through the soffits enabled us to omit full ceilings in lieu of rafts and baffles, saving further embodied energy and cost whilst achieving the required acoustic criteria. The selection of a brick slip system for the façade provided similar cost and carbon benefits.

BREEAM Excellent was targeted and on course to be achieved during design, however a number of credits were removed as a VE exercise, when it became apparent that the client did not require BRE’s stipulations in some areas. A final score of Very Good was achieved.

Given that the new building is one storey taller than the existing one, modifications were necessary to ensure seamless access. A section of pre-cast stair was removed, and a new section was constructed within the existing stair core, particularly at the fourth-floor level. This complex task was executed above a crash deck, ensuring the segregation of construction activities from the operational campus below. The phased construction approach minimised disruptions to university operations.

A number of custom made items were developed with the client, including several which incorporated graphics design by students into the building fabric, such as the 3 storey anodised feature panel on the front elevation. DLA worked hand in hand with fabricators to deliver key items such as this, whilst also engaged with suppliers to secure custom made items within standard systems.