'No net new': What stuck with university leaders at our Campus Space Summit

A few weeks ago, we had the pleasure of hosting senior university leaders from across the United Kingdom, Ireland, and continental Europe for our Campus Space Strategy Summit in London. Together, we explored how institutions can optimise their built environment to better support long-term strategic goals.

It was a full day of research, peer conversations, and practical takeaways. Leaders shared examples of how they’re rethinking campus spaces and weighing tough tradeoffs, underscoring the value of connecting in a candid, working-session environment.

One theme ran through nearly every discussion: universities are facing a strategic inflection point in how they manage space. Financial constraints, cultural resistance, and evolving teaching and working models have shifted the conversation from expansion to optimisation. That’s why this meeting felt so timely—and so productive. Our goal was not just to name the challenge, but to identify the strategies that can help institutions adapt, stretch resources further, and still deliver on the institutional mission.

Where space optimisation has fallen short

For decades, new construction has been higher education’s silver bullet for attracting students, staff, and donors. Across campus, nearly every leader can make a compelling case for space. Whether it’s recruitment, fundraising, or research, each has a vision that involves renovation or new environments.

As a result, total campus square footage has ballooned across all space and programme types. But this unconstrained growth is increasingly unsustainable and introduces new risks to institutional strategy. At our session, we explored six of the most pressing ones.

So why is it so hard for universities to push back against this persistent pressure to grow? The barriers are often cultural, not technical:

• Space is equated with prestige. Physical space is still viewed as a proxy for influence and success.
• ROI is unclear (or distrusted). Units are often asked to make sacrifices without confidence that they’ll benefit in return.
• There’s hesitation to lead. Even if the logic makes sense, risk aversion and fear of disruption often prevent units from taking action.

How to put the built environment to best use

Universities today face a paradox: there’s too much space, but too little alignment between that space and institutional needs. Of the many ideas shared at our summit, three key strategies stood out to me.

Strategy #1: Get other senior leaders on board to help rightsize your campus

Space costs are climbing fast while budgets and staffing remain flat. Universities are grappling with a 19% rise in construction and materials costs, escalating utility bills, and a £6.6 billion investment gap for decarbonization while overall spending is trending downward.

Strategic downsizing—such as exiting leases or offloading underused buildings—can significantly reduce operational costs. But even modest proposals often face resistance. That’s why early alignment with boards and senior leadership is critical. Right-sizing needs to be framed not as a retreat, but as a financial strategy to preserve core priorities.

Strategy #2: Enact a ‘no net new’ space mandate

Most campuses are growing in square footage, but not in ways that meet current needs. There’s often a shortage of student housing, collaboration space, and STEM labs while offices, lecture theatres, and legacy buildings sit underused.

A ‘no net new’ policy reframes expansion. It doesn’t prohibit growth, but it requires that any new space be offset by giving something else up. At our meeting, we talked about how one university exemplified this approach: even amidst enrolment growth, they committed to reducing their footprint and, with strategic tradeoffs, are now on track to save millions in lease costs and shed 1.1 million square feet by 2030.

Strategy #3: Reduce private office space with mandates and incentives

Office space (particularly private staff offices) is one of the most underutilised areas on campus, making it a prime candidate for optimisation. At our summit, participants discussed how space mandates are gaining traction across the UK as a fast, low-cost way to drive change. When applied strategically, these policies yield quick wins without major financial investment.

But mandates alone aren’t always enough. Cultural resistance—especially from academic staff—can slow progress. That’s why some institutions are turning to incentives and smart design to encourage voluntary change. One university in Scotland offered staff a choice: smaller private offices facing an interior quad, or shared offices with exterior views. Most opted for the latter, demonstrating how engaging academics in the process can lead to buy-in better space use, and significant savings without the friction.

What we learned and what comes next

From timetabling to teaching space to the presence of staff and students on campus, leaders are rethinking what the modern campus needs to be and how space strategy can support it.

But these challenges aren’t solved overnight. They require behavioural change, better data, and long-term planning. Meetings like this one help institutions move from abstract concerns to concrete action. And the ideas we shared—whether about classroom scheduling, downsizing frameworks, or shifting the narrative on growth—offered a springboard for deeper thinking and local adaption.

We help universities across the globe turn these strategies into measurable outcomes. If you’re ready to explore how we can support smarter space utilisation (or make progress toward your broader institutional goals) fill out the form below to connect with our team.