New buildings on target for autumn opening

01/05/07

New buildings on target for autumn opening

Contractors have embarked on the final stages of three major building projects at sites across Kingston University, readying them for opening at the start of the next academic year. The work, part of the institution’s multi-million pound campus development plan, will result in significant improvements to its infrastructure.

The latest burst of construction activity has included the completion of the glass and stone exterior of the six-storey quadrangle building at the heart of the Penrhyn Road campus. Workmen have now shifted their attention to fitting out the interior of the £20 million structure, which will incorporate lecture theatres, flexible teaching space and information technology suites centred around a landscaped courtyard.

Elsewhere, work has also forged ahead on the £4 million extension to the existing building at Roehampton Vale, with the installation of internal partitions and ventilation equipment and further progress on external glazing and cladding. Once completed, the three-floor addition will provide improved learning and teaching facilities and extra office space for students and staff based within the Faculty of Engineering.

At nearby Kingston Hill, the framework for the £5 million extension to the Learning Resources Centre is being fitted with glass cladding while work proceeds on the internal layout. The complex will provide another 800 square metres of study space and boast a number of technologically-focused features, including a 60-seat learning café.

Kingston University’s Director of Property Management and Development, Andrew McEwan, said such significant investment in the University’s estate would mean it was in a far better position to cater for its students, who were becoming increasingly discerning about the quality of facilities. “It is extremely encouraging to see the initial visualistions for each of the sites being transformed into reality,” he said. “Each of the new developments will, without doubt, boost teaching and learning and reinforce Kingston’s standing as one of the foremost providers of higher education in the region.â€

Other sections of the University are also in line for a makeover in the coming months after £700,000 was earmarked for a raft of improvements mooted by staff and students. The money will be channelled into projects ranging from establishing better cycle parking facilities to erecting electronic noticeboards in communal areas.