An MBA costs about £8000 at the University of Portsmouth. This provides vital cash flow for the university, but it has to fight for its students. Higher education is a competitive market. Universities not only have to cater for hundreds of undergraduates but meet the expectations of fee-paying MBA students who are used to professional environments. In the past universities have proved excellent architectural clients, taking a long-term view, but they are increasingly under pressure, struggling to find the money for investment. London-based practice HawkinsBrown has been building a reputation in higher education, most recently with its students' union for Portsmouth which acts as a lively city centre gateway to the campus (RIBAJ November 2002). So the practice was an obvious choice when the university needed a new business school, to be named the Richmond Building. But then the project unexpectedly hit contaminated ground.
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