Works to upgrade and extend the computer studio facilities at Chambers Street in Maltings IT Studio 1 (Room 2.08) will start on Monday 6 April. In order to minimse the disruption to these resources, the contractor plans to do the work as quickly as possible starting with an intensive week of work (6-10 April). During this week access to these computing facilities will be suspended, but IT and large-format printing facilities will continue to be available in QDigital (Hunter Building) and BDigital (Main Building).
Author Archives: Judith Miller
Updating our community of neighbours
In the early evening of Wednesday last week the ECA Principal, Professor Breward hosted an open meeting for our neighbours in the Main Lecture Theatre on the Lauriston Place campus. We were delighted to welcome representatives from our neighbours in the Lister Housing Association, Fire Scotland, George Heriot’s School and the Tollcross Community Council as well as interested residents responding to our flyer invitation.
Inviting our neighbours to hear more
Over tea and coffee, and with the help of presentations and a set of posters, we set out more about our plans to refurbish our iconic Main Building, seeking to give our neighbours an idea of what they could expect over the next few years as the works take place and giving them the opportunity to ask questions of the University’s Estate Development team and the project architects, LDN Architects.
There was a very helpful discussion where neighbours fed in their experiences and suggestions regarding keeping the access to Keir St car park moving freely when this car park is turned into the contractors compound for the duration of the works. It was also good to make links with Heriot’s Estates Manager so that we will be able to coordinate with the works being undertaken there over summer 2015 too.
We were able to reassure residents that there was no expectation of any works happening at weekends – we all understand the desire not to have works noise at weekends!
At the end of a very enjoyable evening there was a query as to whether a hard-hat tour might be offered to residents – something we will be following up with the main contractors in a year or so when there is a little more to see!
Many thanks to all who came along. We’ll hope to have more events with our neighbours in the future, so do watch this space.
ECA Students – Help shape the future of ECA!
Where? Main Building Lecture Theatre, Lauriston Place
When? Wednesday 4 February, 3.30 – 5.00pm
Over the past few months, ECA has been involved in discussions with the wider University about our long term vision and how future estate development can revive our iconic estate and our place in the University and the city. We’re hosting a presentation for ECA students to share and discuss our vision, and to hear your views and ideas.
We’ll look forward to seeing you there!
Sneaky peek – Hunter Building Ground Floor works continue
The practical works to refurbish the ground floor of Hunter Building into new accommodation for History of Art and the UGTO, along with refurbishing the entrance and reception area, are well under way. Completion is now expected in January 2015, with colleagues starting to move in to their new offices from the middle of February.
Here are a few photos of contractors Balfour Beattie undertaking the works:
Noise Abatement in Hunter Building
Following feedback from students and staff about drilling noise causing some disruption in the Hunter Lecture Theatre and the upper floors of the building, the contractors have agreed to keep noisy drilling work to between 7.30 – 9.30am from now on.
This noisy drilling work will take until the end of October; after that the work should be far less noisy as it centres more around fixtures and fittings like lighting and furniture. Other work will need to continue during the daytime (so that the work stays on programme), which will bring with it a degree of lower level noise, but not to the extent that the curent drilling does. Further noisy work has been agreed to take place at weekends to avoid Monday – Friday core learning and teaching times.
We’re sorry for the disruption, but know that everyone understands that the work will bring some degree of noise with it. We’re pleased to be working with the contractors to reach a suitable compromise so that any anticpated very disruptive work takes place outwith teaching times while work producing lower level noise can progress between 9.00 am-6.00 pm.
Evolution House PGR Study Space ready for students
Ready for students to move in
The creation of a new PGR Study space on the top floor of Evolution House is now complete, with the space ready for students to occupy from the start of semester.
Key groups – who’s guiding the project
The Project Manager for our major refurbishment is Martin Sinclair, of Gardiner + Theobald, who works closely with the architects, LDN Architects, University Estates and Buildings colleagues and the various contractors on the one hand, and with a number of key groups within the University on the other.
The ECA Estate Strategy Board is the overall project steering group. This is a University-level committee, chaired by Vice-Principal Professor Dorothy Miell, Head of the College of Humanities and Social Sciences (or which ECA is a part). The ECA representatives on this Strategy Board are the ECA Principal, Vice-Principal Professor Chris Breward, and ECA’s Director of Professional Services, Dr Francine Shields. This important Board also has two representatives of the student body as members, the EUSA President and the ECA Student Convenor, who change and hand-over to each other each academic year as the new student representatives are elected.
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We want all ECA students and staff to have the opportunity to engage with the process as we proceed. Staff and student workshops and fora will take place throughout the year approaching the moves in summer 2015, and these will also contribute tot he ongoing development of ECA’s long-term Estates Strategy. The announcements of these will be circulated by email and on posters throughout the campus.
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The ECA Estates Sub-committee deals with refurbishment project matters remitted to it by the Strategy Board, and also takes the wider view of all of ECA’s estates and our ongoing maintenance and upgrade needs as the future estates strategy is further developed. This group is chaired by Mr Graham Bell, Deputy Director of Estates Development in the University’s Estates and Buildings department. Again, the ECA representatives on this group are the ECA Principal, ECA Director of Professional Services, and the ECA Student Convenor to represent the ECA student body.
The detail and nitty-gritty of the refurbishment project is reviewed monthly at the ECA Decant User Group. This group is chaired by the Project Manager, and includes: representatives from the Schools of Art, History of Art, ESALA, Design and Music as required; senior professional services staff, including ECA’s Building Liaison Officer; colleagues from Estates and Building’s Operations section, and representation from the project architects.
As the various building works go on site there will be regular Works Progress Meetings specific to each project (i.e., the works to create the PGR Study space in Evolution House; the works to reconfigure the ground floor of the Hunter Building to house history of Art colleagues, etc.). These will be chaired by the Project Manager, and are opportunities for the contractors, architects and ECA representatives including the ECA Building Liaison Officer to receive and discuss progress reports and any issues arising on-site.
The Plans – Affected areas and facilities
As we start preparatory works for our major refurbishment of the ECA Main Building and, following that, the North-East Studio Building (formerly ‘Architecture Building’), our current expectations of works are as set out below. As with all building projects we expect some aspects of this will change, but this still provides the best overall picture of the works and the physical locations across ECA that’ll be affected.
Works start: reconfiguring Hunter Building ground floor
Works began today to reconfigure the spaces along the south side of the ground floor of the Hunter Building (on the left as you enter the building from Lauriston Place) and the office spaces in the entrance hall and around the Hunter Lecture Theatre and ECA café.
Proposed reconfiguration of the Hunter Building ground floor South
The new spaces will be occupied by History of Art colleagues and the UGTO by Summer 2015.
Access during summer 2014 through the Lauriston Place entrance will be very restricted, and the ECA café will also be closed during the summer for the fitting of its new windows.