Work will be begin today (9th of January) to overclad the main library towers.

The structure was built in 1965-1968 but in recent years has seen deterioration of its concrete cladding panels over the years.  The existing structure will have some remedial repairs carried out and thereafter will be overclad with an aluminium rain screen system. Additionally all roofs and windows within these towers will be replaced to provide a ‘total envelope solution’ that  should extend the operational life of the building for another 50 years.

The work will take place over approximately 78 weeks and therefore staff and students can expect a certain level of disruption.  Noise, unfortunately, cannot be avoided although it has been stipulated within our requirements document that drilling will be limited to certain times in the day.  The Contractor has also been made aware of the academic timetable and as such disruptive operations will not be scheduled during busy periods such as the exam periods.

As well as improving the aesthetic of the building, there will be a considerable improvement in insulation levels, resulting in significant energy and carbon savings.  A conservative estimate from the contractors is that the new cladding will result in reduced heating costs of c. 50%

We will keep you up to date on developments through the library and university websites, Twitter feeds and Facebook pages.  Notices will also be placed throughout the library building.  There are also plans to install a webcam that will track the progress of the works in real time.

We hope that work will be undertaken without considerable disruption but appreciate, given its scale, this may not be achievable at all times throughout the duration of the project.  We ask for your patience while this important upgrading work is taking place.

You can see some pictures of the plans for how the Library recladding will look on the Library's webpages: http://www.gla.ac.uk/services/library/aboutthelibrary/librarycladdingproject/

First published: 6 January 2012

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