Back in the game.....

Following our summer demolition programme, both staff and students have now safely taken up residence again in the main building.

Many of you will have noticed the new contractors entrance off Henderson Road. Lots of signage has been added promoting safety and, as seen below, the Considerate Constructor's details.

The Considerate Constructors Scheme is the national initiative, set up by the construction industry, to improve its image.

Sites and companies that register with the Scheme, sign up and are monitored against a Code of Considerate Practice, designed to encourage best practice beyond statutory requirements.

Check out www.ccscheme.org.uk for further information.

The Scheme is concerned about any area of construction activity that may have a direct or indirect impact on the image of the industry as a whole. The main areas of concern fall into three main categories: the environment, the workforce and the general public.


Anyone requiring entry to the site must be appropriately dressed with PPE and sign in at the security hut on the left, where.....

Douglas will welcome you.



Robertson's site works have meant that to the rear of the building, traffic is now two way. The road was widened over the summer and new signage installed (see sign on the left).

Outside the B Corridor, a new path has been installed to meet with Building Control requirements. Some temporary landscaping has also taken place to tidy things up. The temporary fencing will be removed once the grass is established.

Most of the recent works inside the main campus is in preparation for the steelwork arrival (due 11th October 2010). Type 1 (gravel) will be arriving later this week to raise the ground level to just below floor level.

To make ready for the structural steel, steel reinforcing is dropped into trenches before concrete fills the holes.

Where the structural steel is to be installed, holding down bolts are inserted before the concrete is poured. The cones enable some flexibility in terms of hole positions when the steel is lowered into position.

Once the cement is poured, only the bolts are visible.

Steelwork is already in place along at the catering end of the building. This was required to support the new services racking on the roof.

The front entrance will be the next section to have structural steelwork installed. This is when the shape and size of the new building will become much more apparent. The building should be windproof and watertight by the end of January 2011 (all going according to plan!)

On the roof, bridges have been installed so that contractors can cross over the service racking without risking damage to the installed services.

One of the key environmental improvements to the new building is a ground/air heat exchanger which will pump warm air into the building after it has circulated around a pipe network stretching out into the football field to the rear of the building. Excavations have begun to check the ground conditions.

Tune in next month to see if the steelwork has arrived!!!