A lunchtime engagement event was held on Thursday, December 7, to allow staff to hear from the contractors working on the Learning and Teaching Hub and the Data Annex sites.

The event was opened by Professor Frank Coton, chair of the Learning and Teaching Hub Project Delivery Board.

The first presentation was given by Multiplex, the University’s main contractor for its campus development programme, who are currently on site working on the Learning and Teaching Hub.  LTH project manager Craig McAllister outlined the timeline, methodology, forthcoming programme, on-site activity and noise and vibration monitoring; Kieran Ronnie, community engagement co-ordinator, outline Multiplex’s “five-point plan to being a good neighbour”.

William Ross, senior project manager for Graham Construction, gave details of the data annex project, due to start on site in early January, behind University Gardens, including proposed site and traffic management.  The Data Annex will accommodate Scotgrid and the School of Physics and Astronomy in one data hall while a second hall will be used to house further IT systems.

Questions and Answers

A Q&A session following the presentations allowed a number of issues to be raised:

  • Concerns over heating problems and power cuts in 11 & 13 University Gardens: staff said there should have been better communication of the potential problems from the start. Professor Coton promised that contact points would be clarified.
  • What was being done to make the Boyd Orr Building look better?  Professor Coton explained that the Learning and Teaching hub would be connected to the Boyd Orr at three levels; the Boyd Orr would receive extensive internal and external refurbishment; and there would be internal redecoration in keeping with the interior of the Learning and Teaching Hub;
  • Would the Hetherington Building also be refurbished? Estates have done a wide assessment  across the University estateand will communicate the results in the New Year;
  • Hunterian Art Gallery staff raised concerns about access and traffic once construction of the Data Annex starts.Graham’s explained that they would try and ensure that their deliveries were done outwith normal working hours and that they would manage access and offer to accompany anyone who required access to the back of University Gardens.

Further engagement events are planned for next year.  Anyone who wishes to raise any issues about the campus development programme should email campus-development@glasgow.ac.uk

First published: 12 December 2017

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