Estate Improvements Impact On Experience
5 December 2012
A new corridor connecting the Atrium to B Block at the Kedleston Road site
In previous years we've tended to work on one or two larger projects, but this year was all about making the best use of our current estate through improvement and enhancement works.
”Ian Willgoose, Director of Estates
Markeaton Street's new recording studios
"Each year I think it's been our busiest year yet but this time I'm sure of it," commented Director of Estates Ian Willgoose, when he recapped on the number of improvements completed across the University's sites over the last few months.
It's impossible to disagree when, on entering any of the University's buildings, students and visitors are struck by a visible enhancement or new facility in their teaching or communal spaces.
There are the finishing touches made to the five-year refurbishment of the Britannia Mill site, the addition of brand new recording studios at Markeaton Street, a 58-acre outdoor leadership centre opened near the Buxton Campus, the renovation of laboratories and corridors in Kedleston Road's T Block, a bright new drop in student support centre and the extensive lift improvements in East Tower.
"We have touched almost every site," added Ian. "In previous years we've tended to work on one or two larger projects, such as the Kirtley building which we completed in 2011, but this year was all about making the best use of our current estate through improvement and enhancement works."
Each project was carefully designed and planned, with input from academic colleagues, to ensure it made a significant impact on students' experiences at Derby. Whether by providing state-of-the facilities, real world learning environments, or simply improving access and 'flow' around the University spaces, each of the projects has certainly delivered, and in style.
The East Tower entrance's colourful modern design (the work of the University's in-house design team) and the careful restoration of the 100-year-old Britannia Mill site, which has melded its original brickwork seamlessly with state-of-the-art classroom equipment, have provoked many compliments on social media, and at dedicated 'ribbon cutting' events.
In October, students and staff on the Buxton Faculty's Outdoor, Adventure and Countryside Management programmes listened as record breaking Everest climber Kenton Cool described their Oaklands Manor Outdoor Leadership Centre "an amazing facility where dreams can become real", as he cut the ribbon.
The completion of the £6 million Britannia Mill refurbishment transformed the 1912-built textile mill into a 'future-proof' contemporary learning space for students on Occupational Therapy, Social Care, Creative Expressive Therapies, Textile Design, Fine Arts and Visual Communication courses.
Commenting on this, Vice-Chancellor Professor John Coyne said: "For the building to have been made modern and future facing, with all due respect to its heritage, is splendid."
The completion of Markeaton Street's £350,000 industry-standard recording studios was also marked, with a performance from Derby Music graduate and solo artist Jo Lewis, and the launch of a competition to give upcoming bands or solo artists the chance to win a free recording session.
Chris Hughes, Chair of Governing Council, who attended both events, said: "For the University all of this is part of a vision which says 'we will create the very best real world learning environments so that our staff and students can flourish'. Here they will experience a quality and breadth of facilities and spaces enabling them to go on and make a real difference in the world outside."
Some of the works completed over the summer include:
- refurbishment of Britannia Mill building and studios
- improvements to the Atrium at Kedleston Road, new lifts within East Tower and new entrance and corridor to B Block
- refurbishments of laboratories and corridors within T Block (Kedleston Road)
- new recording studios at the Markeaton Street Site and new creative learning pods
- refurbishment of Oaklands Manor Outdoor Leadership Centre (Buxton)
- improvements to the Buxton Campus's Dome floor, curtains and seating areas
- refurbishment of Derby Theatre's Auditorium, and Green Lane
- halls of residence, refurbishment of kitchens and bathrooms.
