South Cloisters Development - Refurbishment and Extension Frequently Asked Questions
1. What is happening at South Cloisters ?
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Research: We are refurbishing the disused upper floors and adding a new storey to
South Cloisters so Medical School research teams can join us on St Luke’s campus;
Learning and Teaching: We are hoping to add a new extension wing to provide centrallybookable space for learning and teaching for 255 students concurrently.
Learning and Teaching: We are investigating whether the ground floor of the new
extension wing could become the new home for the future of Medical Imaging teaching
Learning and Teaching: We are intending to refurbish the space above Cloisters
restaurant to give 120 extra student study spaces for anyone on campus to use.
Exact design details (including the use of the spaces) are of course subject to final internal
approvals.
2. Why are we doing this now?
We want the facilities that we offer our students, staff and visitors to be as good as they can
be. The extra learning, teaching and study spaces this project will provide will be invaluable
as we continue to improve and extend the facilities for all those at St Luke’s, especially as
the Medical School grows.
We also believe there will be tangible academic benefits in bringing more Medical School
research teams together on this campus when their current building’s lease expires in early
2015. South Cloisters is the best location we have identified on either St Luke’s or Streatham
campus for their new permanent base.
3. Will all Colleges benefit from the upgrades?
The activities of all three Colleges at St Luke’s are important to the University and it is
committed to the future of St Luke’s. The current projects are being driven by Medical
School expansion, the success of which will benefit the whole University. Our Medical School
is integral to the University’s research strategy, and its staff and students will contribute to a
growth in numbers and a renewed vibrancy at St Luke’s. All staff and students will benefit
from upgraded facilities as a result.
4. How long will the construction last?
We hope for internal demolition work to start in December after term has finished, with
main construction beginning in January. The majority of the work will finish by the end of
December 2014 allowing the research teams to move in. The new wing housing the teaching
spaces will be ready in spring 2015, but the study spaces above Cloisters restaurant should
be operational much earlier, during 2014.
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5. What will it mean for the people who work, study, or use the ground floor of South
Cloisters now ?
Cloisters restaurant will remain open as normal. The rest of the ground floor will need to
close when construction starts for health and safety reasons, so we will provide other
suitable space and facilities elsewhere on the campus. We are already looking at the options,
in discussion with the academic and support staff involved and the Guild of Students, but
more details will follow once the contractor has been appointed.
6. How much disruption will there be on campus?
Obviously, there will be some disruption to the campus as a result of a project of this scale.
However, a specially-formed management group is meeting regularly to discuss all the
possible disruptions and plan how to minimise their impact. Already, plans are taking shape
to limit access to South Cloisters from December when the area of the construction site will
be securely fenced off.
During the construction, noise levels in general on the campus will increase and particularly
around the cloister. Construction vehicles and workers will need access, as well as all the
professional teams that will support and enable the work. The University will manage all
aspects closely and will do everything possible to minimise disruption to students, staff and
visitors to the campus. The highest priority will be the safety of campus users and
construction teams.
7. Where is the money coming from ?
The University’s Council recently approved a new 5 year capital programme valued at £140m
which will be funded 50/50 by University earnings and new loan funding. The South
Cloisters refurbishment would form a part of this exciting capital programme which is
targeting growth in research facilities and building capacity to meet the growth in student
numbers. Once completed the project will make a real contribution to the quality of the
academic environment at St Luke’s.
8. What else is happening at St Luke’s ?
Other infrastructure improvements to St Luke’s include a learning and teaching project to
improve teaching and study facilities at the campus. Stage one of the project (completed
early Sept 13) has upgraded all AV teaching equipment in 9 Medical School Building centrally
bookable rooms and in the North Cloisters lecture theatre. A further 10 centrally bookable
seminar rooms have received furniture and decoration improvements in Baring Court, North
Cloisters and Medical School teaching buildings. Haighton Library has also received funding
to improve desking provision.
The second phase of the teaching and learning project (due to commence in Spring 2014)
will refurbish, upgrade AV and increase seat capacity in room G18, Medical School Building.
If you have any queries about these projects, please contact the Learning Spaces Team at
ls-lsogqueries@exeter.ac.uk . The University is also reviewing its overall masterplan for the
St Luke’s campus in light of the creation of the University of Exeter Medical School. All three
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Colleges on the campus and the Guild of Students are involved in the review as we consider
the longer term potential for investment in St Luke’s facilities and the services to our
students.
9. What happens next ?
Now that the planning application for the South Cloisters refurbishment and extension
works has been submitted, we will start contractor procurement in October once all of the
required internal University approvals processes are in train.
10. How will you keep me informed about what is planned/ what is happening ?
We will keep the Guild and the three College management teams up to date with
developments, as well as putting information on the web at
http://www.exeter.ac.uk/spc/uems/sc_development/ for all students and staff to access
and sending important messages to students and staff via the News In Brief. We will also
hold exhibitions at key stages in the project to show St Lukes campus users the designs – the
first of these is planned for October.
11. How can I feed ideas and comments in to the Project ?
You can tell us what you think by visiting www.exeter.ac.uk/stlukesfeedback or email us
with your ideas and comments at uemsproject@ex.ac.uk, or if you are a student you can talk
to the Guild.
If you have a specific query at any time do contact us at uemsproject@ex.ac.uk.
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