43. University of East Anglia Masterplan

At the University of East Anglia, Norwich, Peter Bilverstone the Estates manager gave us a very different take on an architectural tour – from the perspective of someone who looks after buildings for years after the Architect has taken their photographs and left.

He provided a very technical perspective on Lasdun’s renowned modernist architecture and relayed the challenges of maintaining, heating, refurbishing these reinforced concrete structures and making them fit for purpose as student accommodation and teaching facilities. He went to great lengths, made a presentation and provided us heat loss diagrams to illustrate. Many would dismiss this as not interesting, but provided the most insightful post-occupancy evaluation of a building and speaks of that disconnect that often occurs between Architect and Building Users.