Help students balance their academic and social lives by making best use of the outdoor space on your campus.

Spending more time outdoors can have a positive impact on wellbeing, improving moods and reducing feelings of stress and anxiety.

Well-designed, functional outdoor spaces can also help students, staff and visitors to connect with the university community, so they get to know new people and support each other effectively.

Creating and maintaining sustainable outdoor spaces meets the needs of current as well as future generations, making these areas robust enough to bring about economic and environmental benefits for years to come.

At Broxap Street Furniture, their values lie in developing high quality, long-lasting products which improve the places where we live, socialise, learn and work.

Their catalogue is ideal for higher and further education settings, with a huge choice of traditional and contemporary styles available to suit the UK’s varied university offering.

A student city
A university campus is more than just a hub for students. It needs to be comfortable enough to call home yet boast excellent connections to the wider community for working, socialising and travelling.

A thriving campus offers a variety of outdoor spaces to suit the needs of different groups at different times. And with recent events driving home the importance of green spaces, in urban and rural locations, developing outdoor areas with purpose strengthens the resilience of a university.

Study settings
In primary and secondary education, outdoor learning is becoming increasingly important. Taking classes beyond four walls has been shown to keep young people engaged while widening their experiences and understanding of different subjects.

Open air study sessions at universities, for tutorials or group support, can be accommodated with the installation of a canopy or a fabric structure.

At the University of Worcester Broxap installed a twin parasol and additional fixed square parasols around the campus, providing covered seating areas.

The tensile fabric structures are both waterproof and offer UV protection for use all year round.

Areas of quiet contemplation
Research shows that people who are more connected with nature are usually happier in life. As well as parks, woodlands and forests, nature includes urban trees, gardens, planters and window boxes.

Many calls are being made, following the pandemic to improve access to green spaces and the visibility and availability of nature in local environments such as a university campus.

At the University of Coventry, Broxap used timber, one of the most sustainable construction materials available, to manufacture 41 planters. These were partnered with timber benches to provide a green area within the urban surroundings where students could relax and enjoy time outdoors.

A green exercise environment
Being outdoors acts as a natural antidepressant with studies showing that working out in the open air relieves stress more than indoor routines.

With more to see and take in, exercising outdoors removes the boredom factor motivating people to work out a little harder for a little longer.

Offering the right facilities to support sustainable travel such as walking and cycling is also a great way to encourage staff and students to follow healthy lifestyle changes.

At the University of Warwick responsibly sourced timber was used to create a cycle shelter and bin store. Based on their Blox design, the modular shelters can accommodate increasing numbers of bicycles when teamed with their space saving parking systems.

Meanwhile their Sunshine Gym and Stadia Sports division can offer everything multi rig functional fitness frames to MUGAs and football goal posts.

Trendy terraces
Their extensive seating collection is the place to go when developing appealing outdoor bars and dining spaces.

At the University of Plymouth they transformed a courtyard into a sea of colour with the Litchard range of sun loungers, coffee tables, stools and picnic sets.

Or in Liverpool, the Guild of Students also opted for timber with Caerphilly picnic units adapted for inclusive wheelchair access.

And if your spaces are supporting food and drink on the go, then follow the example of the University of Leeds which installed Stainless Steel Derby Quad Recycling Units to reduce the risk of contamination between waste materials.

For a green and healthy university campus, call the team to transform your outdoor spaces.