Dear All
CREaM and Chichester I
Progress is being made with the project and described:
Willmott Dixon have been awarded the contract to undertake the work associated with the CREaM
project, for those new to the School, see my 15th June email below.
Window replacement: Planning permission was obtained to replace all the windows in Chichester I a
very, very long time ago, possibly before I was appointed as Head of School.
Internal partitions: As a consequence of Chichester I being listed, if more than four internal
partitions are to be changed planning permission must be acquired. The intention is to move the
School Office into the old Student Life Centre at the front of Chichester I and convert the current
corridor that houses all of the administrative staff and the Head of School, into a computer
laboratory. Combine this with our intention of extended the existing computing laboratory (Lab 1)
and we have easily changed more than four partitions, hence planning permission has been
requested to enable these changes.
Many of you will know that it wasn’t that long ago that the ‘admin corridor’ used to be a laboratory
and thus some of the partitions we wish to alter are plasterboard partitions.
Front entrance canopy: This is the entrance facing towards the Library.
If you walk into Chichester I through the doors under this canopy when it is raining you will have
noticed two things:
1.
The left side of the canopy, as you face the building, leaks and drips even though repaired
earlier this year.
2.
As you walk into the building the carpet is sodden, this isn’t because no one wipes their feet,
but because the outside paving (and one assumes the concrete slab) leading you into the building is
slopped towards the building and thus drains water into the building; not an ideal design.
This front entrance isn’t part of the original building but an addition, circa 1989. Planning permission
is being submitted to remove the current canopy, steps and concrete upstands and replace the
whole lot. In its place will be an extended canopy, and new steps with handrails. The ramp will
remain in place.
Activity about to start:
The schedule for the activities mentioned above, and the replacement and improvement of existing
building infrastructure (see email below) is being developed and I hope finalised in the next couple
of weeks. Before any major work starts Willmott Dixon will need to complete a thorough asbestos
survey in all areas they intend to work within Chichester I. It is anticipated that this will occur in the
next few weeks starting as soon as possible and finishing before Induction week. This survey will
involve taking samples and thus drilling small holes around the building. These areas will be
temporarily patched after the samples have been taken and fully repaired as part of the major
works. The survey work should only cause very minor disruption if any.
While the building is in its current ‘about to be refurbished’ state one or two other observations and
measurements will be taken, the first is to determine the depth and construction of the building’s
foundations; this will be achieved by digging down next to one of the external building walls,
examining the structure and then refilling the hole. I expect this work to be completed in the next
few weeks and I doubt any of us will notice it going on, or that is at least what I hope.
When we have the schedule of activities I will let you know.
Diane
______________________________________________________________________
Professor Diane J. Mynors BSc MSc DPhil CPhys FInstP MInstSME
Head of School, Engineering & Informatics
CI-009, Chichester I, University of Sussex, Falmer, Brighton BN1 9QJ, UK
T +44 (0)1273 872840 • E [email protected] • www.sussex.ac.uk/ei/