Multi-million pound refurbishment brings University House and Students’ Union together in a true community
University House and the Students’ Union are being brought together in an exciting refurbishment scheme which will transform the building into a true community, one which benefits staff and students alike.
This follows the successful redevelopment of the Students' Union in 2010 and will give us a new and exciting space with top-class services and facilities for staff, students and visitors in a single, visionary building.
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.
The work has been carefully planned in phases to minimise disruption and is expected to start on 23 July 2012 and finish in September 2013.
Although most of the Students’ Union Building will stay open while the work is done, there will be some temporary relocation of services. The following moves have already been confirmed:
Registry Services, Finance – Income and Cash Office, Examinations Office, Student Administration, Taught Programmes Office, Student Support and Guidance (including Immigration Services, Financial Support, Student Development and Critical Support) will be moving to Edgar Allan House, Glossop Road. This is just across the road from the University Health Service. Individual teams will provide further details to their staff in due course.
More than £20m of University money combined with assistance from the Higher Education Funding Council of England (HEFCE) is funding the project. It was developed in consultation with student officers and Students’ Union staff who will oversee the project along with University colleagues. The work itself will be managed by Estates and Facilities Management.
This essential work will bring the building up-to-date with modern efficiency standards, and will radically reduce annual energy consumption and the building’s carbon footprint.
The 21st century makeover, which has been designed by Sheffield based HLM architects, will continue the University’s commitment to offering the best facilities, with six new meeting rooms and improvements to the City View Cafe and Fusion and Foundry. The landscaping continues with significant improvements to pedestrian access and the planting of trees and shrubs as natural screens, adjacent to Western Bank.
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 and improved accessibility for disabled students and visitors. An amphitheatre styled space for special events will be created within the new Octagon Plaza.