Building work on the new student centre is due to begin on February 15th. The building, to be situated by the Founders Sports Hall, will feature a new café and a ‘Chill-Out Area’ with sofas and Sun-Ray computers. The building works will also involve modifications to Elements and Plug, including a larger kitchen area, which will allow them to expand the range of food available.
As part of the plans, the Parade will be extended and widened towards the bus stop, and a bridge will be built from there over the road to the East Car Park.
Building work will be in two stages, the first of which will involve the erection of steel foundations and the basic structure of the building. This is scheduled to be finished by the end of the Easter holidays, but if it isn’t, work will be suspended for the duration of the exam period. Part of the road under the Parade will be temporarily closed during this stage.
Stage two of the plan will begin on June 7th, and it is expected to be finished around September 20th, shortly before the beginning of Freshers’ Week 2010. This stage will also involve a thorough refurbishment of Norwood House, and will require the SU building to be empty. As a result, it is possible that the SU shop, Plug and Elements will be closed for the last two weeks of Summer Term.
The project is being funded by £5.5 million of University money, with an extra £400,000 provided by the Students’ Union, as a direct result of student demands for more social space, both via the Student Opinion Survey, and less formal channels, such as Facebook.
VP Communications Ben Cole explained to impact that “all of our research has shown that students want more social space”; Ian Robertson, who is overseeing the project, added that “3,500 people signed up to a Facebook group, which we think was pretty powerful”.
As the environment is one of the SU’s priorities, it is being ensured that the building will have a “high environmental rating”, “high levels of insulation”, and be energy efficient. An information session will be held on the Tuesday of Refresh week, during which students will be able to question those involved in the project.
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