Enabling New Ways of Working

For detailed information and regular updates about the Workspace Futures 2030 project, please explore our dedicated webpages. We are committed to keeping you informed. In addition to web updates, you can also expect timely notifications via:  

• Email: Check your inbox for periodic updates and important announcements.  

• Events: Attend our Workspace Futures 2030 events and information sessions for in-depth insights, interactive workshops, and direct engagement with the project team.  

• University’s Internal Communication Hub: We will continue to share updates on the University's Communication Site.   

Your engagement and feedback are invaluable to us, so please do not hesitate to reach out to us at workspace-programme@glasgow.ac.uk with any questions or suggestions. 

We have initiated this move under the Workspace Futures 2030 Programme to address the evolving needs of our University community. The second project, focused on the School of Education and School of Social and Political Sciences aims to reimagine the Gilbert Scott Building workspaces. 

This project aligns closely with the University's strategic vision, and we are committed to shaping spaces that truly reflect the ethos of our institution.

https://youtu.be/hb2tcI3Mfqg 

 Key goals of the WSF 2030 project include:   

• Promoting Collaboration: Create spaces that encourage and facilitate interdisciplinary collaboration, enabling the exchange of ideas and knowledge across departments and research areas.   

• Strengthen Community: Design workspaces that foster a strong sense of belonging, encourage meaningful connections among colleagues and nurture a vibrant and inclusive community.   

• Efficiency and Sustainability: Employ innovative strategies to optimise space utilisation and embrace sustainable practices to reduce our environmental impact.   

• Wellbeing and Diversity: Prioritise the wellbeing of our colleagues, students, and visitors by developing spaces that promote comfort and inclusivity, and cater to diverse needs; ensuring everyone feels supported and valued. 

We are continuously evolving our approach to reflect our learning and experiences from a variety of on-campus projects as well as the wider HE sector and beyond. This ensures that we are making informed, future-proof decisions, grounded in colleague needs. For example, we will utilise post-occupancy surveys currently in progress for the Advanced Research Centre (ARC), the Clarice Pears Building, and the Adam Smith Building.

Yes. We are wholeheartedly committed to designing workspaces that are both inclusive and accessible, offering a mix of spaces from quiet, private workspaces to collaborative social areas. Inclusivity is one of our core principles and is embedded in our desired outcomes. This means not only incorporating features like ergonomic seats and height-adjustable desks but also ensuring that every communal space can be easily accessed and comfortably used by everyone, regardless of their physical abilities or other needs. 

However, as a historic building, the Gilbert Scott presents certain challenges in creating a fully accessible space. We need colleagues across both Schools to help us understand their needs and engage in ongoing consultation to ensure the design solutions meet our aspirations for inclusive spaces. A key objective of the Diagnose phase is to assess the mix of quiet, private and social spaces that colleagues need – there is no expectation that there’s a default to open plan spaces. The nature of the work must drive the nature of the space. 

We appreciate that colleagues require a variety of workspaces, including focused, quiet spaces. The team is exploring how to support individual colleagues’ choices while balancing the priorities of the University’s long-term strategy and the existing space constraints. The project incorporates an extensive Diagnose phase, and feedback from it will help us make informed decisions. To accommodate a variety of needs, we intend to create a balanced mix of different spaces, ensuring that everyone has access to the right environment to suit their varied tasks and working styles.

After much consideration, our settled position is that we will have an SRC PGR Representative on the Board as originally planned. Given the diverse and transient nature of the PGR population we will also introduce some PGR-specific focus groups and consultation processes throughout the project to capture the needs of this community. You can find out more about the Board in the Project Board Terms of Reference available on the webpages. 

The objective is to bring all colleagues from both Schools, except for some previously agreed exceptions in SSPS, together. Some SSPS colleagues, for example, have newly configured space and would not be expected to move to the Gilbert Scott Building, at least in the first few years.

At this stage, however, there is still much to work through. A lot depends on how the Schools choose to use the available space. There will be compromises to consider, but this can only be understood after the two schools contribute to the initial design work.

We are exploring the specialist teaching spaces needed for both Schools, particularly those related to accredited programmes. Much of this provision is being incorporated into the Keystone Building plans, including computing lab spaces, super labs for science subjects and maker space. We will identify any other requirements for other specialist spaces and seek to address these through a range of projects. 

Our exploratory approach through the Diagnose phase, grounded in consultation with colleagues, aims to balance current needs with the project's long-term goals, the University’s ambition, and developments within the sector. Throughout this project, we are encouraging colleagues to think about what we need now, how we intend to work in the future, and about the University's longer-term strategic and organisational needs, including those of our future students and colleagues.

The surveys are just one part of the overall Diagnose phase, which gives us an insight into the current and desired work experience.  We will test the results and insights thus far with colleagues in the Schools to see if they think the findings are a true reflection of what is happening in each area. If outcomes surprise them, we may have to reflect and rethink.  

No decisions will be made based solely on the survey information and observations. The Diagnose phase is made up of four parts:  

1. Work Mode Study. (Diagnose) 
2. Work experience survey. (Diagnose) 
3. Observation and contextual conversations. (Diagnose) 
4. Co-design Work Sessions. (Engage) 

This initial research is an input to the Co-design sessions, which will sense-check the data and provide future opportunity for collaborative engagement. 

To find out more about our approach for this project, take a look at the Methodology Overview available on the webpages. 

We aim to offer space tours throughout the project, including visits to areas that have undergone similar interventions. We emphasise that it is not our intention to adopt old spaces as they currently exist. There are opportunities to reimagine the space, so the tours will be intended to familiarise people with the building generally, not the with current spaces as they are now. 

We will also be arranging tours of some of the newer workspace types on the campus to show examples of what has been adopted elsewhere and the typologies we might want to replicate in the Gilbert Scott Building. 

We are continuing to invest in maintaining our existing estate to ensure our colleagues have suitable workspaces. For example, 42 Bute Gardens is in the process of being reclad. In addition, our plan is to explore moving colleagues in a phased manner, and no one will be abruptly displaced from their building/workspace. 

Yes, we are still investing in building maintenance. If a building is in active use, we will always do our best to maintain it, prioritising safety and compliance. 

Until we have clarity on what, if any, decant space may be required, we cannot say which specific spaces will be available as decant space. However, we are committed to ensuring that suitable working spaces are available throughout the project and will communicate further details when appropriate.