URS Building obtains Grade 2 listing

Thursday, 28 July 2016

The URS Building has now been attributed Grade 2 Listing status.

The URS Building has been registered as a Grade 2 listed building.  

The initial recommendation was made by Historic England as part of a review of the University’s plans to redevelopment the site. Following Historic England’s recommendation, The Department of Culture, Media & Sport have now granted Grade 2 listing status.    

The full implications of the listing are now being assessed by the redevelopment design team. We will be looking at which elements of the scheme can be retained, but clearly modifications in some areas will be required.

We will keep you updated on any amendments to the design and as pre-application discussions with Wokingham Borough Council are undertaken. The University will be working closely with Wokingham Borough Council to finalise what may be done to the building.  

The URS Building is an example of Brutalist architecture, which flourished from the 1950s to the mid-1970s. Last June, the University announced that the URS Building would undergo a £35 million refurbishment set to begin January 2017. The refurbished URS Building will house the School of the Built Environment (School of Construction Management and Engineering; School of Architecture) and the School of Arts and Communication Design (Department of Art; Department of Typography and Graphic Communication). 

During the refurbishment, School of Construction Management and Engineering (SCME) will be relocated from the URS and Engineering Buildings into the Chancellors Building. Revised details will be passed on as early as possible.