The beginning
In late 1918, Britain was recovering from four years of the First World War. As society rebuilt itself, there were calls for improved building standards and living conditions, including for city slums to be replaced with better quality housing. Prime Minister David Lloyd George famously called for ‘homes fit for heroes’. It was out of this context that in 1918, Sir William Wells – a respected leader in the profession – proposed the establishment of a College of Estate Management. In 1919, CEM was established.
35 Lincoln’s Inn Fields
The College of Estate Management’s first permanent home was at 35 Lincoln’s Inn Fields, which CEM inhabited from its purchase in 1921 until the Second World War.
Upon purchasing the property, CEM needed to remodel the interior in order to make the building suitable for its new educational purpose. This included removing an exquisite wrought iron staircase and balustrade, made in 1754 or earlier, in an intricate style akin to famous French Huguenot ironworker Jean Tijou. In order to preserve the staircase, The College of Estate Management gifted it to the nation. On 25 February 1921, the piece was donated to the Victoria and Albert Museum, where it has been on display ever since.
To this day, you can view this artefact in room 54 of the Victoria and Albert Museum in Kensington.
World War II
With a history of educating service personnel, when war broke out in 1939, The College of Estate Management delivered correspondence courses to over 13,000 servicemen at home and abroad.
The College also worked with the British Red Cross to deliver courses to British servicemen being kept as Prisoners of War (POWs) across Europe. Educational institutions across Britain sent study materials and organised for POWs to sit examinations while in captivity. At POW camps in Germany, the Netherlands and, briefly, Italy, POWs were able to start, or continue with, their studies. This scheme provided prisoners with an intellectual stimulus and, at some camps, groups of POWs worked together to teach each other – and nicknamed them ‘barbed wire universities’.
Royal and academic connections
Over the following decades, CEM continued to establish itself as the sole specialist provider for built environment education in the United Kingdom. In 1967, the institution became associated with the University of Reading in a relationship that would last four decades. A relocation to Reading’s Whiteknights Campus followed in 1972, and by 1995, CEM had grown to the point where it had students in 80 countries across the world.
The institution’s links with royalty were also strengthened during this period. In 1977, CEM was granted patronage by Queen Elizabeth II and, 11 years later, His Majesty King Charles III (then Prince of Wales) became the College’s President. The King would later replace Elizabeth II as patron in 1998 – a role he holds to this day.
An independent future as a fully-fledged university
In 2001, CEM launched its Virtual Learning Environment (VLE) providing students with programme material electronically. This development foreshadowed the institution’s transition to becoming a fully online education provider – a path which saw CEM agree an independent future from the University of Reading in 2010 and, in 2016, relocate to its new Horizons office.
One of the most important developments in the institution’s history was in 2012 , when CEM was granted Taught Degree Awarding Powers with effect from 1 January 2013. A name change soon followed, with CEM becoming the University College of Estate Management (UCEM) in 2015. At the end of the decade, the institution’s patron, King Charles III, visited the campus as part of its centenary celebrations.
2025 saw two significant new milestones for the institution: a successful strategic merger with the London School of Architecture and a change of name to University of the Built Environment. These developments mark an exciting future for the University as it continues to strive towards its vision of becoming the centre of excellence for built environment education.
The University Centenary Board
The interactive board below was created in celebration of the University’s centenary year in 2019. Have a look through to find out more about the University’s heritage, and the goodwill messages shared at that time.
University of the Built Environment
On 9 June 2025, we became the University of the Built Environment. In addition to the official launch day, we hosted a special celebration at the Barbican in London, and created an engaging video showing the evolution of our new identity and logo.