Benwell Road Project
London Met is starting a £1.7m project to convert areas within B, P and G blocks of Benwell Road into new teaching, study and administration spaces. This new area will house the Faculty of Social Sciences and Humanities, following the closure of Ladbroke House during summer 2012.
The development will include a 150 seat lecture theatre, two lecture rooms with over 50 seats and 12 other teaching spaces, with the capacity to have 586 students being taught at any one time. Staff will be provided with 14 offices, with 79 workstations. Three sets of toilets in Benwell road will also be completely refurbished.
The development work will send over 80% of its waste to be recycled, massively exceeding the 50% standard set by the construction industry’s commitment to the Waste & Resources Action Programme. The completed rooms will also offer environmental advantages; PIR lights will only switch on when people are beneath them, minimising the carbon footprint from electric lighting. The lights also detect when sufficient levels of daylight are present and switch off accordingly.
Preliminary works have started and the project will be running through to the summer. Improving Benwell Road and closing Labroke house is part of the delivery of the University's strategic plan to create a more efficient and compact estate, while upgrading facilities for staff and students.
The project is being lead by John Finnerty, who is the point of contact for any queries. Examples of some of the upgrades are illustrated below, specifically the Technobooths, Touchdown Spaces and lecture theatres.
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Technobooths. Enhancing computer-based study, Technobooths provide a big screen, power sockets and network points, all in a seating arrangement focused towards informal group working. Current plans call for eight Technobooths to be installed. |
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Touchdown Spaces. A mixture of soft furniture and computer workstations will provide students with an attractive area to socialise and study in. Accoustic baffles attached to the ceiling will enhance both these functions, while adding an attractive feature to the space. |
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Lecture Theatres. All teaching spaces will have PCs linked to projectors, and some will have audio equipment, creating a modern learning environment. Air conditioning will be fitted in the basement rooms to resolve comfort issues.
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