One year later, the Ziggurats remain empty as RAAC (Reinforced Autoclaved Aerated Concrete) remains prevalent in the buildings.

At the start of the 2023/24 academic year, students who were supposed to be moving into the Suffolk and Norfolk terraces – The Ziggurats – were sent to stay in different accommodation in the city centre due to the discovery of RAAC within the respective buildings.

RAAC is a lightweight, ‘bubbly’ form of concrete commonly used in construction between the 1950s and mid-1990s. It is predominantly found as precast panels in roofs, commonly in flat roofs, and occasionally in floors and walls. This means it may be found in any school or college building that was either built or modified during this period.

One student affected by this move was Greta White, who told Concrete: “I got an email a couple of days before I was due to arrive and move in stating that due to RAAC, we were to be moved off campus to St Crispin’s. It was quite scary given it was a completely new place that I hadn’t expected to be at, and I was concerned with the cost of travel. We were provided with a free bus pass for a year, roughly two weeks after we moved in. The university promised to keep us updated on the progress of making the Zigs liveable, with some vague assurances that we would be able to move in to them at some-point in the year. This never happened and we received no updates on progress.

“We were moved into St Crispin’s, and at the start of the year it was still being finished with building work. So for two terms, I believe we were given a discount on the price we were paying, which was the price of the Zigs — £130 p/week — and not the normal £180.”

Last year, Luke Johnson, the former Activities and Opportunities Officer for UEASU, made a statement attesting that his “main concern [was] the impact it (the move of first years from the Ziggurats into different accommodation) could have on students’ mental health and wellbeing.”

However, for Greta this problem did not seem to arise, “I think it’s fair to say that we lucked out in a way with our accommodation as it was very much an upgrade to the Zigs, so I am actually very grateful for that. So, as much as it was initially stressful and did cause some issues for me, like the distance to uni, it wasn’t bad whatsoever. It was quite simply a very different situation from what was expected. I hope the Zigs can be rebuilt safely as I truly like the architecture, but my accommodation for the year was good for me.”

Here is the previous and current government mission statement for Buildings containing RAAC: “[take] action to permanently remove the aerated concrete from all school and college buildings across England. This will be funded through grants or the School Rebuilding Programme. Every school or college with confirmed RAAC is assigned dedicated support from a team of caseworkers. Project delivery teams are on-site to support schools and colleges to implement mitigation plans.

The government will spend whatever it takes to keep children safe”, they state on the Gov.UK website.

In semester one of 2023/24, Concrete spoke to UEA’s Vice Chancellor, Professor David Maguire, about the RAAC discovery, where he mentioned: “I suspect, because of the construction method of the Ziggurats, that’s likely to be a long-term challenge for us to resolve.”

According to Norfolk Heritage Explorer, “Four parts of the original university buildings are listed (Grade 2) and these comprise the Suffolk Terrace, Norfolk Terrace, library and teaching wall. The buildings were constructed in 1964-68. The Suffolk and Norfolk Terraces, known as the Ziggurats, derive from Sant’Elia and Marcel Breuer under the influence of Louis Kahn. They were listed as Britain’s first and most successful expression of a university as a ‘small city’ rather than a dispersed campus.”

A Grade 2 listing is assigned to buildings of national importance and special interest. This classification acknowledges these structures’ significant role in the UK’s cultural and historical heritage.

Therefore, the Ziggurats can only be knocked down to be rebuilt exactly the same, which would be a long process, meaning it could be a long time before anyone call them home again.

When approached for comment, the University said:

“We are continuing to liaise with the local planning authority and Historic England to explore financially viable options that are safe for our students and meet the necessary requirements for Grade-II* listed buildings. 

Unfortunately, the solution for RAAC in Norfolk and Suffolk Terrace was not identified during the previous academic year. However, students relocated to St Crispin’s House were given the opportunity to contact UEA accommodation to ask about moving on to campus after the first term. All students relocated to St Crispin’s House had their rents subsidised by UEA to ensure that there was no financial impact.

Image Credit: UEA