Update from the Learning Spaces Working Group meeting on 14 November 2016

As previously reported the working group has been looking to address your Spring Lane Building feedback.

We have a limited amount of funding remaining and after reviewing the available options, the group have individually prioritised each option. The scores have been counted and the following works are now progressing.


1. Progressing a fit-out proposal for tables and benches with integrated power provision for the atrium (under the main stairs for the building). This should be in place by the end of February 2017.

Option 1

Option 2

2. Extra touch-down/study furniture on first and second levels including looking out through the glazing (north and south):

3. Extra furniture outside the first floor lecture theatre entrance:

4. Extra furniture to provide an additional 28 seat in the study space, including some of the popular ‘Cube’ chairs as seen in the Harry Fairhurst learning space:

The items marked in colour will be added to the existing furniture (shown in grey)

5. Extra furniture outside the ground floor lecture theatre exit (vending area)

6. Internal and external signage updates

7. Artwork/branding on the lecture theatre walls to break up white space

8. An additional table in each seminar room alcove for papers, artefacts, catering, etc

9. Kitchenette provision in or around SLB/010 for staff and student use for light refreshments - this was highly requested our Students’ Union representatives and will take some time to provide in the correct location

10. Additional furniture outside the study space to extend it:

Furniture is typically on an eight-week lead time so we hope to have some of these items in place during the start of the Spring Term 2017.

Please do keep your feedback coming to learning-spaces@york.ac.uk

Best wishes,

Matt

Chair of the Learning Spaces Working Group

Santa Claus is coming to Campus West - our Christmas Learning Spaces refurbishment programme

Guest blog from Eve Firth, Learning Spaces Installations and Project Manager

With Christmas rapidly approaching, we’re looking at continuing our rolling cycle of AV refreshes in rooms across campus and planning to add in painting, carpets, furniture replacement and other works where needed so that we can return the rooms to use with a fresh new feel - inspired by the popularity of the new Spring Lane seminar rooms.

First on our list are six rooms in James College. We plan to upgrade G/N/001, G/N/002, G/N/010, G/N/013, G/N/020 with widescreen, brighter projectors and the kit to feed them including HDMI inputs for more modern laptops. 

G/N/010 as it looks now

We’re also going to replace the carpets - and install new, high quality induction loop systems while we’re doing it - and tidy up the walls so that we can add more boards space. In rooms that are currently set out in rows, we plan to swap them to a horseshoe style - with a teaching desk rather than a lectern and comfier chairs all round.

B/M/023, B/M/049 and B/M/052 are also due an upgrade. Again, we’ll be putting widescreen projectors and HDMI in each room, as well as a teaching desk to complement B/M/049, with its round-table layout.  B/M/023 and B/M/052 will keep their current layout, with the lecterns replaced and new boards across the front walls. Following the success of the writing surfaces in Spring Lane, we’ve keen to provide as much useful writing space as possible, so have asked suppliers for these works to suggest new ways that we can do that.

Also in Biology, we’ll be undertaking more extensive works in B/B/103, including a ceiling and lighting replacement and build of a new teaching wall. As well as the AV upgrade, that’ll mean a new layout, possibly based on the more group-work friendly furniture found in seminar rooms SLB/210 and SLB/211 on the top floor of the Spring Lane Building.

A potential layout for B/B/103

W/N/218, formerly a PC training room, will be converted into a new seminar room, with new kit AV kit and a new layout, once the power and data sockets have been removed from the floor! V/B/023 eLab will also receive a new AV equipment install, including a move to widescreen projection.

While we work on initial pricings, more detailed feedback requests have been sent to local users and to any use of the spaces recently. However, feedback from everyone is welcome - please email your questions or comments to learning-spaces@york.ac.uk!

Eve

Learning Spaces Installations & Project Manager

Springing into action on your feedback

We are now well into the Autumn term and your feedback on the Spring Lane Building has been heard!

We now have an action log of 52 suggestions (we heard about some items quite a few times but they are only recorded on the list once) that the Learning Spaces Working Group received this Monday, for decision on how we progress them. Some are already compete (thanks to colleagues within Estates and Campus Services for acting so promptly when they were received). Here is a sample of the items.

Complete

• Clocks
  There is now one installed in each seminar room.
• Water fountains and drink/snack vending machines
  We have installed vending machines and water fountains are now available on each level.
• Add the building to the campus map
  The building is now marked on the interactive campus map, and updated pdfs will be online very soon.
• Magnets for the whiteboards in the seminar rooms
  We have added a supply to each room.
• More waste bins in the building
  We have reviewed the provision and installed additional as required, including some new external bins.

In progress

• Gender neutral toilet provision in the building
  We designed this from the outset by putting in full-height cubicles throughout and as well as eight neutral and accessible toilets within the building. After consultation with the Equality and Diversity Office, we propose to convert the middle floor to fully gender neutral.
• More parking in the area
  We are in the process of removing the site cabins from the central car park and will then re-instate the parking spaces in the area.
• More seating in the building, especially after climbing the stairs
  We are in the process of procuring additional seating for use throughout the building.
• Additional bike storage outside the building
  The building’s Facilities Manager is working on this with the University’s Travel and Transport Manager.
• More signage in the building, particularly to the toilets and the lecture theatre entrance
  The Facilities Manager is working on this.
• Mobile whiteboards for the study area on the top floor
  We’ve placed an order for these.
• More technology in the teaching rooms (digital overhead projectors)We have placed the order to increase the quantity of ‘visualisers’.
• Food/drink preparation facilities
  We are investigating installing a small kitchenette in the building - with hot (boiling) water, a sink, etc.

Not able to progress

• A cash machine in the building
  Unfortunately this would take up valuable space in the building and there are a number in neighbouring Vanbrugh College and Market Square.
• Urinals in the men’s toilets
  We designed this building to be able to function as fully gender neutral in the future and so did not provide these. There is a high quantity of individual cubicles as a result.
• Indoor wildlife (and puppies)
  As we are based on a beautiful parkland estate, the group felt that we would not progress the request at this time.

We really value your feedback. Please keep it coming!


Best wishes,

Matt.

Your seat at the table - have your say on the future of our learning spaces

As part of our ongoing commitment to staff and student consultation, we're undertaking a week of activity to seek feedback on the use of learning space within the Spring Lane Building and future developments.

Come along to the Spring Lane Building (map) between today and Friday 18 November to tell us about your 'must have' and 'could have' room facilities, and take part in our 'House of Chairs' vote.

We'll also be conducting face-to-face surveys in the building and circulating an online survey to recent Spring Lane room users.

The feedback will be used to help us understand how you're using the new building as shaping future projects like the Piazza Learning Centre.

We look forward to hearing what you have to say!

Spring Lane has landed

What a month September was for us! Cutting a very long story short, the handover of the building was delayed and we took practical completion on Friday 30 September, with the doors opening for the first sessions by 9am on Monday 3 October (Week 2).

Huge thanks to everyone involved in the project - it was such a fantastic team effort and special shout-outs must go firstly to our in-house Learning Spaces and AV team who built and installed the equipment in the learning spaces, and to our Facilities Manager John Maddison who is in the building most days making sure things are working as they should.

We still have lots to finish off (defects/snags) but the learning spaces themselves are receiving some fantastic feedback on twitter, email and on the feedback board we have in the Atrium.

Here are a sample of some of the comments:

We’re going through all of these and will take the feedback to the Learning Spaces Working Group, so we can look at how we can address items. More ‘You said, we did’ to come! For example, the water fountains are being installed very soon, the vending machines are almost operational and we have a Multi-Functional Device (MFD) going on the top floor of the building for printing, photocopying and scanning.

One of my personal favourites for the building: our first video wall on campus! You will see some great content coming this way in the future. We’re also busy installing other digital display screens around the building to show ‘what’s happening’ right now along with other messaging to keep staff and students in the loop.

Make sure you pop in and have a look around if you get the chance, and we’d love to hear from you. Please let us know what you like and what you think could be improved!

Matt Burton

New boards in Hendrix Hall

As mentioned in the previous blog post, we’ve installed new boards in Hendrix Hall (D/L/028).

Responding to the frequent requests from academics who use the space - the boards are now counter-weighted and can be moved by hand, rather than the former motorised boards.

Here’s to seeing them full of academic content soon (but of course cleaned after each session).

Matt

Learning Spaces update - September 2016

Sorry it has been a while since the last update. Colleagues across the University are busy working on a number of projects that will enhance the experience in a number of learning spaces. Keep an eye out for the following improvements!

New carpets installed in:
Alcuin - ARRC/010 auditorium
Derwent - D/104 seminar room
King’s Manor - K/G07 seminar room
Sally Baldwin D/002, D/003 and D/008 seminar rooms
Vanbrugh - V/123, V/139 and V/C/123 seminar rooms

We’ve redecorated a number of rooms this summer to freshen them up.

We’ve installed new furniture in:
Biology - Biology B/B/102 and B/B/103 seminar rooms
Biology - Biology B/K/090
Derwent - D/L/007 and D/159 seminar rooms

We’ve installed new learning technology in:
Alcuin - AEW/003 lecture room and video link to Hull
Alcuin - AEW/105 seminar room
Berrick Saul - BS/005 auditorium
Chemistry - C/B/102 lecture room
Derwent - D/M/212 seminar room
Library - LFA/144 seminar room
Vanbrugh - V/139 seminar room
Grimston House - VX/230 and 231 seminar/meeting rooms

We’ve installed new teaching boards in D/L/028 Hendrix Hall and V/045 Vanbrugh lecture rooms.

We’ve also had lots going on behind the scenes for the Spring Lane Building before the handover in a few weeks, with a rapid ‘fit out’ programme for furniture and learning technology before teaching commences.

We’re now starting more detailed planning and discussions at the Learning Spaces Working Group for the Piazza Building on Campus East, due to open in spring 2018, and pulling together a programme of improvement works for existing teaching and learning spaces this year on campus. More to be shared soon!

Matt