We're attending Education Estates Exhibition, Conference and Awards 2026

Held in partnership with the Department for Education, the event is the UK’s leading forum for people involved in planning, funding, designing, building and managing education environments. It will offer valuable insight into the latest policy developments, sustainability priorities and approaches to estate delivery, and is a chance for the AHR team to connect with clients, partners and collaborators from across the sector.

We’re proud to be shortlisted for Architectural Practice of the Year and to have a director taking the stage at one of the conference’s specialist sessions. More on both below.

Our wider approach to education design

Our architecture and building consultancy expertise spans a broad body of work across the education sector, helping clients deliver schools, colleges and universities that support learning, wellbeing and community life for years to come. They’re shaped by design values that create forward-thinking, people-first, sustainable learning environments, which we’re excited to discuss in line with the exhibition’s feature-rich agenda.

To set up the next generation of learners to succeed in a constantly evolving digital landscape, our places are created with future-ready infrastructures that provide first-class technology for teachers and students.

As industry-leaders in trauma-informed design, we know that learning environments should be fully inclusive in order to provide equitable education experiences. From the outset, our approach to Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) design acknowledges and caters for people with SEND, from physical accessibility to sensory-friendly aesthetics.

Behind every successful education project sits careful strategic thinking, and our building consultancy team plays a key part in this. From campus-wide masterplans that align capital investment with long-term academic strategy, to geomatic surveys that capture accurate, detailed data on existing buildings before a design decision is made, this groundwork helps clients make confident, well-informed choices about their estate.

We embed sustainable school design across our portfolio by designing climate resilient education estates that future-proof campuses and provide students with environmentally friendly learning spaces. Our decarbonisation strategies help clients understand which buildings to retain, upgrade or replace, taking a fabric-first approach to reduce energy demand and championing retrofit to extend the life of existing buildings. This evidence-led approach helps clients reduce running costs and carbon impact, while targeting investment where it will make the most difference.

And, with experience delivering Passivhaus education buildings, net zero carbon and WELL certified education projects, we help clients set the right sustainability targets from the outset and build a clear, evidence-based route to achieving them.

Explore our work across schools, colleges and universities

Meet our team at the conference

Our multidisciplinary team brings together architects, building consultants, masterplanners, geomatic specialists, project managers, interior and landscape designers, across the full lifecycle of the built environment. This depth of knowledge helps us work closely with schools, colleges and universities across the UK, shaping learning environments that are ready for the way people learn and teach today and in the future.

Shortlisted for Architectural Practice of the Year

We’re delighted to be shortlisted for this award again, recognising our work across a wide breadth of education design. The nomination reflects the creativity and commitment of our team, and our ongoing drive to create sustainable, inclusive and inspiring places to learn.

Learn more about what this recognition means to us

Speaking on trauma-informed design principles in education estates

2pm on Tuesday 21 October on the SEND and Inclusion Stage

Director Robert Hopkins will discuss what it takes to bring TID principles into mainstream education and civic spaces. He’ll be joined by a wider panel of speakers, including Professor Sandeep Ranote, clinical director of mental health at NHS Greater Manchester, and Professor Naomi Sharples, associate dean at the University of Salford’s School of Health and Society.

Rob will draw on his experience leading the delivery of Thrive Health and Wellbeing Centre at the University of Salford, one of the UK’s first large-scale, fully trauma-informed academic buildings. He’ll explore why a TID ethos should shape the whole design process, from initial vision and spatial organisation through to material choices, operations and day-to-day use, for the benefit of the public, students and faculty.

Aspiring to achieve BREEAM Excellent and WELL Gold accreditations, Thrive Health and Wellbeing Centre will support the training of future healthcare professionals in an environment that actively supports recovery and reduces the risk of re-traumatisation. The building prioritises inclusivity and accessibility through intuitive circulation, generous sightlines and adjustable sensory environments, alongside a landscape design that offers moments of quiet to promote emotional regulation.

Rob will explore what this means for the future of learning environments and why trauma-informed thinking is fast becoming an essential part of the wider design conversation, from improving outcomes for students and faculty to strengthening the case for long-term investment. Join us at the session to hear more, or explore our white paper co-authored with the University of Salford, for a deeper look at how TID principles were translated into practice at Thrive Health and Wellbeing Centre.

Explore more of our education work

While Thrive Health and Wellbeing Centre shows what’s possible when trauma-informed thinking shapes a building from the outset, the following projects touch on some of the themes shaping this year’s conference agenda.

Sustainability and whole-life performance

Combining our design and building consultancy expertise helps clients extend the life of their estate, reduce running costs and set a clear route towards net zero carbon targets. Caledonia High School in Fife is a strong example of this ambition in practice. Targeted to achieve Passivhaus Classic certification, the new school replaces the outdated Inverkeithing High School with a sustainable, inclusive learning environment that integrates seamlessly with the local community, while targeting RIBA’s embodied carbon standards and the Scottish Futures Trust’s net zero standard. 

It follows in the footsteps of our nearby Woodmill and St Columba’s RC High School, currently the largest Passivhaus-certified education building in the world.

Healthcare education and occupant health

Healthcare and education needs increasingly overlap, and our team helps clients design teaching spaces that also deliver clinical and community value. The Emily Siddon Building at the University of Huddersfield is one such project, a 6,800 m² facility bringing NHS diagnostic services and specialist healthcare teaching together under one roof, targeting WELL Platinum certification. By reimagining what a teaching building can deliver, the University gained a facility that generates value beyond the classroom: live clinical training for students, a community healthcare asset and a stronger case for future investment in health-focused education.

SEND and inclusive design

Designing for SEND means starting with people, not just spaces, shaping environments where pupils and faculty feel calm, confident and supported throughout the day. At Pear Tree SEND School in Stockport, designed to meet the Department for Education’s net zero carbon in operation standard, this thinking shapes everything from clear wayfinding to calm circulation. Putting trauma-informed design in practice, the school gives faculty a calmer working environment that supports retention, while helping pupils feel settled, confident and ready to learn.

Reuse and repurposing

At the University of Nottingham, our architecture team is transforming the top floor of the 1960s psychology building into a new Clinical Teaching and Assessment Centre for the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences. Supporting the NHS Long Term Workforce Plan, the 4,000 m² refurbishment brings clinical simulation suites and flexible teaching spaces into a constrained existing floorplate, while a fabric-first approach replaces the ageing roof structure and upgrades insulation and ventilation throughout, significantly improving the building’s thermal performance.

Education Estates 2026 brings together the people shaping the future of learning environments across the UK, and we’re proud to be part of that conversation again this year. From Robert Hopkins’ session on trauma-informed design to our shortlisting for Architectural Practice of the Year, this year’s event reflects the breadth of thinking that goes into every education project we deliver, from sustainability and inclusion to wellbeing and long-term value.

Whether you’re planning a new build, retrofit or estate strategy, our team would love to talk. Come and find us at Manchester Central on 20 and 21 October, or get in touch to discuss how we could support your next education project.

Explore AHR’s full portfolio of sustainable, inclusive and innovative education design projects across schools, colleges and universities.