Dear LCCOS Staff,

We are thrilled to announce the upcoming UCL200 capital works project, part of the UCL Estates Strategy. UCL’s aim is to enhance the campus experience for everyone who works, studies and visits here. The first phase of these projects, led by UCL Estates, will start ahead of 2026, introducing new initiatives focused on accessibility and sustainability. These changes will benefit students, staff, and visitors in the main central spaces of UCL. Additionally, the improvements will support exceptional events and engagement opportunities, enhancing infrastructure and creating multi-functional areas. The works include enhancing the Main Quad, improving functionality and community space in the Wilkins Building and enhancement and partial pedestrianisation of Gordon Street. Works will commence in January 2025.

Key Updates and Impacts:

• Art Museum Relocation: the Art Museum is being relocated to IAS rooms G17/G19, in the South Wing of the Wilkins Building, to facilitate the building works.
• Object-Based Learning Laboratory: this facility will be relocated to the Garden Room for the duration of the works.
• Main Library Entrance: the entrance to the Main Library will be temporarily moved to the first-floor South Junction entrance, following work to adapt the space to accommodate security and library membership.

Timeline and Preparations:

• Start Date: the building works are scheduled to begin in early January. While we are still finalising the timeline, our teams are diligently preparing for these changes.
• Signage and Re-routing: we are working on clear signage and rerouting plans for our users, including those visiting the museums, the Object-Based Learning Lab, and the Main Library.
• Providing alternative office space to displaced staff who will be moving into the Main Library.
• End date: all works should be complete by December 2025.

Important Information:

• Access Restrictions: from January, access to the Cloisters, the Octagon, the Main Library entrance, and the Object-Based Learning Lab will be closed. Please consider alternative access routes when planning activities or creating printed directional materials.
• Disruptions: there may be disruptions due to noise, dust, and other impacts of the building work starting from 06 January. It might be necessary to direct library users to alternative facilities during this time.

We understand that these changes may cause some inconvenience, but we are confident that the end result will be worth it. Once the contractor is in place and we have a detailed program of works, we will provide more information.

If you have any concerns, please contact Jay Woodhouse or Rebecca Bashan.

Thank you for your understanding and cooperation during this time of change!

Please feel free to share this information with service stakeholders.

The LibNet Facilities & Project page have been updated with new quick links for the RemedyForce forms. These links should make it easier to access the service required and find the correct form.

We understand RemedyForce is not always the easiest to navigate and are looking to improve ease of access. If you have any suggestions for improvement or wish to highlight issues, please e-mail Jay Woodhouse directly.

Please see below a message from UCL Estates about the Front Quad Closure:

Apologies for the very short notice on the following message:

Unfortunately the Front Quad is being closed to all but essential pedestrian traffic from today (10th August) until 25th August to enable the installation of a new drainage pipework to be installed from the Pop-Up to existing drains close to North West Wing. This is to facilitate the conversion of the Pop-Up to wet lab teaching space in time for Term One (the drainage is only to support the sinks in the labs, there are no toilets being installed).

Pedestrian access will be maintained for those using North West Wing, Slade, Wilkins, Chadwick and South Wing, but there will be a defined pedestrian walkway, either directly into the Chadwick front entrance for Chadwick users, or across the North West Wing entrance, and around the grass adjacent to North West Wing, that will need to be followed. Everyone else will be asked to use other routes i.e through Malet Place/Gordon Street. There will only be vehicle access available for emergencies.

All events have been relocated from the Quad, and notifications have been made to those specifically affected (that I’m aware of). There is hopefully going to be some messaging coming out from CAM to reach the wider community and the Student Union are also sending out communications, but please do pass this onto anyone you feel may be impacted.

We have asked the Project Team to ensure that the pedestrian route created is fully accessible.

I am currently awaiting a programme of works from the Project Team, but they are planning to be on site between 7am and 6pm, Monday to Sunday. There will be some periods of noisy work as they excavate the tarmac area. They will be working to incredibly tight deadlines, to get the works completed before Graduation Ceremonies start in the Quad at the end of August – structures will start being erected on 27th August, with the ceremonies starting on 31st August, immediately followed by Welcome activities for the new term.

Unfortunately, we have just received an update from the Estates department, a change to dates has been necessary in regards to the redecoration of the Main Library stairwell, the corrected dates are listed below:

MAIN LIBRARY CLOSURE: redecoration of the entrance stairwell, Saturday 20th August & Saturday 3rd September 2022

Our team information can be found at the following link Facilities & Project Team

We have received confirmation from UCL Campus Experience & Infrastructure (CE&I, part of UCL Estates) that contractors will be redecorating the Main Library entrance stairwell. In order to carry out these works safely, and to keep access to the Main Library during the works, a scaffold will be erected with a deck over the stairs. This desk will be sealed with plastic to ensure no debris or paint can fall on users or the stairs. Vacuums will be used while sanding down and making repairs to the walls. The lighting will also be clean, repaired and re-fixed.

To erect the scaffolding the Main Library will be closed on Saturday 20th August 2022 all day. The library will reopen as normal on Sunday 21st August at 11am. The works will take two weeks and a second closure on Saturday 3rd September 2022 will be require to remove the scaffolding. The library will reopen on Sunday 4th September at 11am.

These are essential works and help us strive to maintain the health & safety of all our students and staff.

If you have any questions in regards to this project please contact the F&P team and we will be more than happy to assist you.

The Library Facilities & Projects Team are moving to RemedyForce self service from Wednesday 15^th June at 8am and all staff should use the RemedyForce system from this date, for all listed requests.

The new Service Request options can be accessed from the RemedyForce Self Service module:

RemedyForce Self Service then select Request Something – Library Facilities from the Categories – from here you will be able to select the service that you require.

The Facilities & Projects Service Level Agreement (F&PSLA) (LibNet Facilities & Projects Page) has been updated to reflect the change in request procedure, but the F&PSLA response times have not been changed. Moving to RemedyForce will allow improved control of requests, ease of essential message content, better customer communication and better reporting on F&PSLA targets.

The Facilities & Projects Team joint e-mail address lib-facilities@ucl.ac.uk will remain active for external filming and photography requests.

For everything else please use RemedyForce.

Contractors will be starting work on three rooms in the DMS Watson Science Library basement on Monday 8^th February, as part of the ongoing works to support Special Collections national accreditation.

Rooms B12, B12A & B13 will be refurbished and brought back to a usable condition over the next six weeks. Initial works will be on B12 & B12A. All works, except the replacement of the doors, will take place within the rooms. Access along the basement corridor and to Special Collections and the B13 Locker Room will not be affected. If there are any needs to restrict access, these will be notified in advance.

Once B12 has been completed, the Locker Room will be relocated from B13 to B12. Advanced notice will be given when a date is known for this move. We will request that any fragile or valuable items are removed from the lockers prior to this move. Please note the Locker Room will be unavailable for two days while it is being moved.

The relocation of the Locker Room will allow for improved security arrangements for Special Collections, with the card-controlled door in the basement corridor being restricted to Special Collections Staff or with access approval by the Head of Special Collections.

Work on B13 will then be undertaken. Once these rooms are completed, they will be used by Special Collections as a digitisation suite and the storage of conservation materials, which are currently held in the collections spaces.

For further information or to raise any concerns please contact Library Facilities

The Science Library will be closed to both students and library staff on the Friday 11th to Monday 14th February inclusive. The library will reopen on Tuesday 15th February. Library staff will need to make alternative working arrangements for these days.

This closure is required for the commissioning and switch over to the new fire alarm system. As part of this switch over the old fire alarm system will be shut off and for the duration of the closure the building will not have an active fire alarm, therefor it is not safe for students or library staff to be in the building. The fire alarm is a key safety system to allow the building to open. With the old system becoming more unreliable, the new system is need as soon as possible.

It was hoped this switch over could have been done over the Christmas break, but unfortunately the DMS Watson Building is linked to the Petrie and Boiler House and there have been access issues in both these spaces, delaying the completion of the new system installation.

For any queries please contact the Library Facilities Team.

Our team information can be found at the following link Facilities & Project Team

SMT have recognised the issues staff are having regarding the heating problems within the Main library and are working with the Library Facilities and Projects team to press Campus Infrastructure and Operations for a swift resolution. It is expected that the temporary heating solution will  be operational throughout the building by the end of the week.

1st floor main library:

Temporary heating will be provided by means of 2.8kw electric heaters.  We are still in the process of installing supplementary power to all areas that will enable us to fully deploy these heaters. Survey work is being undertaken tonight and tomorrow, with the intention of installing 2 X 60-amp supplementary power circuits: one for either end of the library. Works are expected to be complete by the end of this week. In the meantime, we have plugged in as many lower powered heaters as possible to mitigate the cold temps.

2nd floor

The 2nd floor temp heating solution will be provided by means of 20 stand only A/C split units, that will be secured in the window bays. These units only take a small amount of energy compared to the 2.8kw heaters. We also have supplementary power on the roof that we will use to feed these units. Works expected to be complete by the end of this week.

If you experience any concerns during the duration of this project, please do contact the Facilities and Projects team on: lib-facilities@ucl.ac.uk

Following successful installation the Cardax access system at the entrance to UCL Senate House Hub will become active on Monday 12th March.

UCL staff and students will need to have valid UCL ID cards with them in order to access the Hub.

The Hub remains out of bounds to external library members.

Access times to the Hub will be as follows:

UCL Staff:

07:30 – 19:30 Monday to Thursday

07:30 –  18:30 Fridays

09:30 –   17:30 Saturdays

(Evening and weekend staff who help to manage the space will have extended access)

UCL Students:

09:00 – 21:00 Monday to Thursday

09:00 – 18:30 Fridays

09:45 -17:30 Saturdays

On the 29th January, UCL Press launched its new open access book Brexit and Beyond: Rethinking the Futures of Europe, edited by and Benjamin Martill, Post-Doctoral Fellow at the Dahrendorf Forum, LSE and Uta Staiger, Pro-Vice-Provost (Europe) and Executive Director of the UCL European Institute, to a packed lecture theatre of around 180 people.

The event was organised in collaboration with the UCL European Institute (http://www.ucl.ac.uk/european-institute) and featured talks by some of the book’s contributors Chris Bickerton, Reader in Modern European Politics, Cambridge, Helen Drake, Professor of French and European Studies and Director of the Academy of Diplomacy and International Governance, Loughborough University London, Simon Hix, Harold Laski Professor of Political Science, London School of Economics and Political Science and Kalypso Nicolaïdis, Professor of International Relations, and Director of the Centre for International Studies, at the University of Oxford. It was chaired by Quentin Peel of Chatham House, and introduced by the book’s editors. A news article about the event and the speakers was featured on UCL’s homepage – read it here.

Given the highly topical subject of the book and the high-profile authors, both the editors and UCL Press were keen to publish the book as quickly as possible, and we sped up the production process to just 3 months in order to capture the wave of interest and to be as up-to-date and relevant as possible. This has paid off, as an extract from the book was featured in The Telegraph on 22nd January.

Hopefully the event and the combined promotional activities of UCL Press, UCL Media Relations and the UCL European Institute will generate more media interest, but in the meantime we highly recommend Brexit and Beyond to anyone following the Brexit debate who is keen to hear the views of leading academic experts from around the world. Download it free here.