‘Innovative – flexible - sustainable - student centred - integrated - impact – implementable’; these words were the brief for the University Campus Suffolk, which was created to improve accessibility to tertiary education within Suffolk, and was a key part of the new ‘Education Quarter’ in Ipswich.

The project was a joint initiative between the University of East Anglia and the University of Essex. The initiative aimed to improve accessibility to tertiary education within Suffolk by the creation of a new ‘Education Quarter’ in the centre of Ipswich which included the relocation of the existing FE college and the creation of a ‘hub’ facility for University Campus Suffolk.

The projects provides high quality landmark buildings on the waterfront that set the standards for the subsequent university phases. The University set out to provide environmentally exemplar buildings that would underpin their commitment to offer an integrated student centred sustainable campus of the future.

The design team were appointed in May 2006, and delivered the masterplan and first phase building in September 2008, and the second phase ‘James Hehir’ building in 2010. Both projects were rated as ‘Excellent’ under the BREEAM system (the highest rating available at the time of construction).