Project update - Summer 2013
The Saw Swee Hock Student Centre is really taking shape, the structure is nearing completion. The completion of the roof was marked by a topping out ceremony in April 2013. This event marked a significant milestone for the project and was attended by many of those involved in the project, including Architects O’Donnell Tuomey, the contractors Osborne, the Students’ Union, Chaplain, Residences, Careers and LSE’s senior management. The ceremony, originating in Persia, traditionally marked the reaching of the highest point of the building, and it was performed to ensure that no evil spirits were trapped inside the building. Today, topping out is interpreted as a wish for the building’s safe completion and a celebration for those involved.
The brickwork is progressing at some speed and is now looking very impressive from several vantage points on campus; the timber cladding will be completed in early June. Services are now being installed at all levels and the reception desk and bar fronts to the new Three Tuns home and basement venue are completed. The goods lift is nearly installed and the floors are being closed up on levels 1 and 2. For the latest internal photographs of the project visit the Gallery of Images|.
Congratulations to our contractors Osborne who recently won the Silver in the 2013 Considerate Constructors Scheme National Site Awards. Reportedly only the top 10% of sites in the country are invited to the awards ceremony. This year some twenty sites where awarded bronze, around six silver and two received gold. The Estates Division is therefore delighted with the news that our site won a silver award, well done Osborne.
The project is on target to complete in late 2013.
The live web cam| is still a great way to monitor the projects' progress as well as the photographs in the Gallery of Images| and for our film which links photographs of works completed to date, see NSC Work in Progress film|.
Westminster City Council (WCC) restrict work on the site to between 8am - 6pm Monday to Friday and 8am - 1pm Saturday. The hours of working for noise control remain unchanged with restricted noisy works to between 8am-10am, 12noon-2pm and 4pm-6pm.
Monthly drop-in sessions are held on the first Friday of each month by LSE Capital Development and Geoffrey Osborne, between 2-3pm, in Osborne's offices in the Parish Hall, first floor. These are specifically targeted at the users of surrounding buildings who may wish to discuss the effects of the project, however all project related questions are welcomed.
For monthly news updates please see New Students' Centre News|. Also follow the construction on Twitter @OsborneLSENSC.
The striking building design is by Irish architects O'Donnell & Tuomey, supported by an excellent design team which includes MEP consultants BDSP and structural engineers Horganlynch. The project team also includes project manager Turner and Townsend, and quantity surveyors Northcroft.
The LSE is seeking to transform the student social experience by building the best students' centre in the UK. The site will become a student hub at the heart of LSE's campus and should add significant value to the student experience at LSE. Due to open at the end of 2013, the New Students' Centre will include:
-
the Students' Union reception
-
the advice and representation centre
-
sabbatical and general manager's offices
-
internet café and large venue spaces
-
a pub
-
a media centre
-
a fitness centre including gym and dance studio
-
faith centre
-
the LSE accommodation, sales and marketing office
-
the LSE Careers Service
To take a virtual 'fly through' the New Students Centre please see below:
Download the video here|. If you have problems with this then right click and choose 'save target as' or 'save link as'
View our film on the New Students' Centre
LSE students Sophie Giscard D'estaing and Andrew Rajanathan are on a mission to find out why the School is building a new students centre in a short film on the New Students' Centre|.
The New Students' Centre design competition and consultation process is kindly supported by the LSE Annual Fund. For more information on how you can make a difference to life at the School see LSE Annual Fund|.