The University of Southampton is committed to providing a world-class education and research environment. We also play a vital role in our region’s economy, supporting thousands of jobs and opportunities across Southampton and beyond.

As Southampton’s second-largest employer, we are proud to have around 6,500 staff. Most are based at our Highfield Campus, but beyond the campus, our spinouts, supply chains, and partnerships sustain thousands more jobs across the region. Much of our estate was shaped in the 1960s under the Basil Spence masterplan. But with fresh investment, we have the opportunity to reimagine it for the future. We're creating a more sustainable campus that advances our environmental goals while deepening our role at the heart of the community.

This estates strategy sets out an ambitious programme of short and long-term developments. These will strengthen our buildings and transport infrastructure, create modern facilities that improve teaching and research, support a vibrant, thriving campus community and help us achieve our environmental commitments.

This investment will ensure we remain resilient, sustainable and equipped to deliver life-changing experiences for generations of students.

The goals of the Estates Masterplan

The Estates Masterplan has been assembled to give a strategic focus on 5 key goals: 

  1. Deliver University strategy to meet our growth ambitions.
  2. Provide the spaces needed for a world-class education, driven student experience.
  3. Make a positive contribution to our neighbourhood, the mental wellbeing of our people and visitors and to biodiversity with an inclusive environment.
  4. Invest University resources wisely to help us make the best use of existing spaces, make our current buildings work harder through optimisation, and where necessary retrofitting.
  5. Create long-term resilience and address backlog maintenance on our estate by upgrading critical infrastructure to to support growth.

Featured developments

  • A healthcare student with a clean white lab coat readies their stethoscope

    Clinical Skills Hub

    Mirroring the real world, the Clinical Skills Hub will provide space for the medicine and health subjects for clinical training for tomorrow's aspiring doctors, nurses, podiatrist's, physio and occupational therapists.
  • proposed location of the energy centre and substation on Highfield campus, situating it away from major learning centres and surrounded by green spaces

    Energy centre and substation

    Our estate cannot grow without resilient infrastructure. The Energy Centre and Substation provide the foundations for expansion while driving forward our sustainability strategy and net zero goal.
  • An architects mockup of the proposed new STEM building on highfield campus. A multistory building in yellow facade with wide accessible pathways, communal areas and it's own cafe, lined by trees

    Combined STEM building

    Bringing together wet labs, dry labs and computational spaces, the new STEM building will enhance student experience, enable new teaching models, and strengthen cross-faculty collaboration. A landmark for interdisciplinary learning.

The first 3 years

Between 2025 and 2028 we'll upgrade our power infrastructure to support our heat decarbonisation and water efficiency goals. We'll also create more flexible, accessible and welcoming spaces for learning, research and collaboration and create new green spaces to increase biodiversity on campus.

These initial projects will underpin developments for the next 10 years and include:

  • developing a new home for our award winning primary care research with the faculty of medicine - The North East Quadrant building
  • reviewing the green paces across our campus, improving access and increasing biodiversity
  • building a new shared STEM building to bring teaching across science, technology, engineering and maths together
  • creating a new outreach and academic hub for biosciences with the Precision Biosciences innovation Hub
  • providing a new Clinical Skills building for medicine and health sciences clinical training
  • transforming the old Granby Grove Villas site into a new kitchen garden space
  • refurbishing several buildings across campus, including the Physics building
  • assessing transport and parking needs to support staff and visitors to our art and sports venues
  • exploring the possibility of a UK first laboratory space on Boldrewood campus

Contact details

Beyond 2028

Our long-term vision and ambitions extend beyond these initial projects. We will continue to explore future developments and welcome your feedback to ensure the needs of the community are met.
estatedevelopment@soton.ac.uk

Useful links