Work begins on new Students' Union building
Work has begun on the start of an exciting new phase in the future of our award winning Students' Union building.
As the University offers congratulations to all its students who have just attended graduation ceremonies, the builders are now moving in to start work on bringing University House together with the Students' Union to create the new Students' Union building which will improve and enhance its facilities for staff, students and visitors.
The majority of the Students' Union will remain open during this time and wayfinding signs will point the way round this affected part of the campus. The first step is to make the site safe and this will mean Glossop Lane and the route from the concourse to the Octagon will be closed. All access to the Octagon will be from Western Bank. This arrangement may be more flexible at the start of the academic year. This initial phase will also include demolition of the University House entrance structure and Octagon link bridge.
The extensive building work means that a number of student services have been relocated. These include the Student Services Information Desk (SSiD) Student Jobshop and the Student Advice Centre.
SSiD is now open in its new home in Gallery Room 4 on level four of the Students’ Union. Meanwhile, the Student Jobshop has closed but students and staff can access the Jobshop services throughout August by phone, email and myVacancies, the Careers Service online vacancy system. The Jobshop will reopen at 285 Glossop Road on Monday 3 September.
Other student services have already been relocated in preparation for the building project. In June Registry Services, Income and Cash Office, Taught Programmes Office, Student Support and Guidance (including International Student Support) moved to Edgar Allen House on Glossop Road. More recently, the Student Advice Centre relocated from the Students’ Union to 285 Glossop Road and is open for business as normal.
In addition to the relocation of student services, City View Café, New Leaf salad bar and the Pool Room are now closed for the duration of the building project. However food and drink will still be available from:
• Bar One
• Bartolomé Espresso Station – Bartolomé House
• Coffee Revolution – Students’ Union
• IC Café – Information Commons
• Interval – Students’ Union
• Jessop Café – Jessop West
• North Campus Café – George Porter building
• Plaza Café – The Arts Tower
• Proper Pasty – Students’ Union
• St George’s Café – Mappin building
• SU Shop – Students’ Union
• University Arms
New food outlets will also open on 20 August with hot food, including South East Asian, Mexican dishes and all day breakfasts, available on the concourse (between the Students’ Union and the Alfred Denny Building) and a new café in the Krebs Room in Firth Court.
The new building will be home to a number of complementary services and facilities provided by the Students' Union, the University and private operators. It will include student services and space for student activities as well as shops, cafes, bars and restaurants, spaces for the whole University community to share with improved accessibility for disabled students and visitors.
The work has been carefully planned in phases to minimise disruption and is scheduled to be fully operational in September 2013.
The new and integrated building will be designed to meet the needs of everyone on campus. Renamed the Students' Union building, it will help create a strong sense of community and belonging at the heart of the campus for both staff and students.
You can get more information on the project on the Estates web pages. Or by visiting the Students’ Union website.
Click here to read about other current Estates projects