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Location: Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, London.

This year’s conference celebrates 30 years since the founding of the Forum, previously HEDQF. Based at the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, Stratford, London, the conference will explore university building design, past, present and into the changing future.

The conference will be held at Plexal, Here East, on 25 & 26 June. It will include visits to recent buildings on the Olympic Park, contributing to the new cultural and educational quarter, and include a drinks reception and buffet dinner in UCL Marshgate.

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Conference Highlights:

Day 1:

• A Keynote Challenge by Professor Peter Madden OBE, Professor of Practice in Future Cities at Cardiff University on ‘From the Future of the University to the University of the Future: How do we get from here to there’;
• An interactive session, looking to the technological future, facilitated by Craig Chettle, former CEO, Confetti Institute of Creative Technologies, Nottingham;
• Presentation and Discussion from the clients from several of the new buildings, including Sadler’s Wells and UCL on what has been achieved, how they are working together for a new future, and lessons for other universities;
• Overview of the design of several of the new buildings by the architects, followed by guided tours, leading to,
• Drinks and Buffet Dinner in UCL Marshgate, with after dinner reflections by Professor Tony Travers, Professor in Practice and Associate Dean of the LSE School of Public Policy, London School of Economics.

Day 2:

• Presentation on lessons from the past for the future from the Forum’s International Reference Visit to Antwerp in May 2025;
• Discussions on Looking to the Future: 21st century estate and building planning, including the results of the Campus Reimagined initiative at the University of Leeds and international examples;
• Discussion on lessons for the future from buildings designed and built 30 years ago, including the Jubilee Campus at the University of Nottingham;
• Update and discussion on the University Design’s Forum’s current and proposed research projects;
• Interactive discussion, facilitated by Adam Scott of FreeState Studio, building on Professor Peter Madden’s keynote presentation the previous day and including contributions from Prof Hugo Spiers and Dr Fiona Zisch from the Bartlett School of Architecture at UCL who are creating a new unit around a collaboration between Brain Sciences and Architecture looking at neuro-architecture and design to improve working spaces and inclusivity;
• A debate, always a popular part of our conferences, this year on the theme of ‘AI – Friend or Foe’ by Professor Andrew Murray, Professor of Law, and Professor Conor Gearty, Professor of Human Rights Law from LSE’s Law School.
  

With thanks to our 2025 Primary Supporters: 

With thanks to our 2025 Supporters: