Over the next few years, the University of Leeds is proposing to spend in excess of £350m to ensure that it will have the facilities required to meet its strategic objectives by 2015.

Two thirds of the university's city centre campus is within conservation areas and is complimented by non academic buildings. The estate provides 625,000m2 of space including 450,000m2 of academic buildings in a wide range of architectural styles.

With their outstanding qualifications in the education sector, Silcock Dawson has been working with the University on the modernisation and refurbishment of the Michael Sadler Building. This Grade II Listed Building houses one of the largest facilities on-campus, the 340 seat Rupert Becket Lecture Theatre. The University is looking to modernise and refurbish the entire building, with new lecture rooms, staff offices and teaching areas to be created, alongside welfare facilities and communal areas.

The project is being carefully phased to minimise disruption to students and teaching staff that use this integral campus resource. The various projects which Silcock Dawson has undertaken on the Michael Sadler Building include:

- Banham Theatre; refurbishment to the existing building lower ground floor areas
- Human Communications; new Media and Communications Department in the basement area
- Philosophy Foyer; refurbishment of the existing Foyer area
- Maintenance Project; phased programme to include the replacement of existing heating,
  ventilation and electrical services including central plant equipment throughout the building

The company's Energy and Sustainable Design team also evaluated, reported and commented on possible sustainable engineering solutions for the refurbishment of the Michael Sadler Building, however whilst a number of the solutions could have been financially beneficial to the scheme, the Grade II listed status of the building prohibited their use.

Alternative ways to reduce energy costs as part of the refurbishment were also examined by the team, utilising "Inverter Drive Technology". This led to the replacement of the existing building management system with a new one offering increased control flexibility.