University of Bradford
July 26, 2011 Filed under: 1960s, 1970s, Education by Sanna Fisher-Payne 3 comments
Placed 41st in the Placebook vote of favourite buildings by BDP
BDP's involvement with the University of Bradford began with a masterplan in 1965 and lasted for more than a decade. Estates & Buildings Officer Keith Broughton remembers a trio of early buildings
Chemical Engineering, Nuclear Science and Civil Engineering Buildings
This group of buildings was the first of several projects designed by BDP for the University of Bradford in the 1960-70s period.
They were essentially built in reinforced concrete with exposed aggregate finish. A system of window “lozenges” gave the buildings a high degree of planning flexibility, a feature which proved to be invaluable in later years as academic requirements changed.
I regard these buildings as a fine example of the work of a dedicated group of professionals.
Keith Broughton, former Estates & Buildings Officer at the University of Bradford
Russell Smith - Estates Manager University of Bradford
March 12, 2012
As the current Estates Manager at the Uuniversity I find this absolutely fascinating, particularly as we are in the middle of regenerating the campus. What I find really fancinating is the shift in direction from between now then, we have created one of the most sustainable built environments in the country if not the world. The University has a very different feel now, even from when I started at the University 7 years ago – to the point it is nearly unrecognisable and is now considered at the forefront of sustainable construction. We are slowly publishing via the estates website archive images dataing back to to 1963 and hope to publish the original 1966 planning document which is incredibly forward thinking.
Russell Smith – Estate Manager University of Bradford
Malcolm Taylor
November 15, 2011
I am delighted that Keith Broughton has nominated our University of Bradford commissions. Bradford was among the first of Harold Wilson’s “White Hot Technology” new generation of universities, and he became Chancellor.
The masterplan was for a series of joined teaching buildings, with vertical circulation towers at intersections (one of the photos shows a lecture theatre at the top of the intersection between the Chemical Engineering and Civil Engineering buildings). Both buildings were heavily serviced, and it was necessary for the Preston model shop to construct a model of the hydraulics in Civil Enginering to help the contractor to fit them in (perhaps BDP invented Building Information Modelling as early as 1968?).
Keith refers to the exposed concrete finishes. Concrete as a finish was controversial,:some designers liked it, others loathed it. But it went well with Bradford’s tough, northern image.
Sadly, only these two teaching buldings were completed, so the masterplan was never fully tested. But the idea was developed on a larger scale in the ICI Petrochemicals HQ on Teesside. Here, concrete finishes had gone out of fashion, and the buldings wre clad in Accrington red bricks.
peter snape
July 26, 2011
I am glad these building have been nominated by Keith Broughton who with Ted Kemp were the client. I had the pleasure of working on all the buildings from 1966 to 1972 including the projects listed and the Library,Sports Building and the Residential campus