Sir William Henry Bragg Building

Updated July 2021

This page is updated on a regular basis, however, if you would like any further advice or have a question please email us at campusdevelopment@leeds.ac.uk

What happens after construction is complete in February 2021?

Following the completion of building construction, we are now in fit out, hook-up and migration phase. This phase involves the practical elements of installing fixtures and fittings and specialist connections inside to enable equipment from the current labs and buildings to be moved over/ migrated into the new building. It is envisaged that this process will take approximately six months. This is because of the sheer scale and size of the building and the complexity and requirements of the specialist equipment that must be moved over.

During this time we will also be installing furniture and completing the AV installations in the building so it is ready for staff and students to use before the Autumn term commences in September 2021.

The hook-up works involve the connections to all the research equipment on a lab by lab basis. These connections and recommissioning of large items of equipment will be undertaken by a third party who are suitably qualified to carry out these works.
In time, we will share proposals on how we intend to migrate staff into their new office spaces within the building. We will also inform experimental officers and students on how to access their laboratory equipment whilst the building is still not open to all.

Our plans for general staff moving into the building will occur after the summer teaching term completes in 2021 but more precise details will follow nearer the time.

The safety of our staff and students remains a priority so we will continue to carry out migration and hook up activities in accordance with social distancing guidelines.

Who is leading the Migration process?

The considerations and planning for the migration is being addressed through a migration user group that has representatives from each academic school or research facility.

Membership is David Oldroyd (Estates Project Manager), James Young (ICEPS Programme Director), Charlene Taylor (Business Change), Gavin Burnell (Physics & Astronomy), Rik Drummond-Brydson (SCaPE, Bragg Centre), Edmund Linfield (Bragg Centre Director and Cleanroom), Mehmet Dogar (Computing), Peter Culmer (Robotics), Sarah Burdall (Faculty H&S), Jerry Lee (Faculty Facilities Manager), Adam Ives (Estates), Maggie Whitworth (Purchasing) and representatives from the migration and hook up company (IRIS).

If you have specific queries relating to migration please contact the Faculty Facilities Manager, School or research facility representative, who will be able to give you the most up to date information.

Who is doing the migration and hook up?

The University has appointed IRIS, a specialist company to undertake this work. They will oversee the complex and large volumes of items that need to be moved into the new building and have already started planning and meeting user groups to design all specialist systems.

Will I be able to get unrestricted access into the building during this time?

As all the fit out and migration activities are construction related, the building is still held under construction site regulations, and access is restricted to authorised and controlled access. As we migrate into the building this will enable us to free up areas for access, safeguarding the users from the construction works.

When can I see what the building looks like inside?

Due to Government social distancing guidelines it is currently not possible for us to offer guided tours of the building, except in managed and essential situations. However, you can see the latest internal and external photos at, https://estates.leeds.ac.uk/portfolio-item/sir-william-henry-bragg-building/

We will keep reassessing the situation and once it is safe to do so we will begin to offer building tours.

Some building user awareness tours focussing on targeted areas have been taking place. These were facilitated by Jerry Lee and BAM as part of our soft landing process.

When can I see what my teaching space / office space will look like?

Visits will be restricted and controlled because of the extensive hook-up works the building will still be a live construction site initially. However, we will be sharing photos of the teaching and lab spaces as soon as they are ready. For the most up to date photos please view the gallery of images.

How can I find out which equipment will be migrated over?

The vast majority of items of equipment are moving to the new building but there are some items not moving due to equipment safety or they are being replaced. Also, there are items which will move to adjacent buildings (Chemistry building, Electronic & Electrical Engineering building). Your user group representative on the migration working group will be able to advise.

How can I find out when my school or group will move into the new building?

A high level schedule of the move has been shared with the Migration Group and staff will be contacted directly when their move date is confirmed and to advise on the process that this will follow.

Initially we will be focusing on laboratory fit out and equipment migration followed by staff moves. Essential experimental staff will migrate when it is safe to do so with their specialist equipment. The majority of staff moves will then follow after teaching completes. This will apply for the school of Computing, Physics and Astronomy, Bragg and Robotics. Packing crates will be issued to all staff well in advance of move dates. We will of course need to phase each user groups/schools moves to ensure we comply with social distancing.

With Covid-19 being an ongoing issue can you confirm how the building ventilation works?

This large building is fully mechanically ventilated with circulated through duct work and filters along with fresh air inlets which is circulated around the building.

If you are not moving directly into the new building and you are part of associated ICEPS projects (such as the FEPS Integrated Workshops, NMR suite, Condensed Matter Physics group or the Helium Recovery unit) these are later phases of construction which will follow on after the main building migration. These projects have a separate programme of works and will commence in 2021 further details on these project can be made available via your allocated school representative for the migration working group (details above on pages 1-2).

FAQs from Sir William Henry Bragg Building, Town Hall Events, July

When will we receive induction sessions for entry into the new building?

Currently the building is with IRIS and they are working under health and safety requirements which means it is a live working site. However, we have inducted 100 people into the building already and are gearing up to induct more School of Computing staff. Entry cards are also being prepared so authorised personnel can access the building. In a few weeks though the building will move to University control and when this happens we will have more control of driving inductions forward. Additionally, at some stage the main doors will be opened allowing the rest of the University community to access the building.

How is the heating, humidity, temperature and ventilation in the building managed?

The ventilation and heating system is via a sealed system and is an air-controlled system. It’s a sealed building which means there are no have openable windows. It’s all Hepa filter controlled and is of the highest standards and meets University’s and industry standard covid requirements. Building supply systems are fed through complicated modern up to date systems and for that reason it will not be possible to control the temperature manually. However, it will be possible to control temperature in some offices within a few degrees.

Please report any issues you many have with the temperature of the building to Jerry Lee and the building control team.

Is there fallow space still available and what is the current situation with it?

Yes, there is still fallow space available, currently 700 square metres remain.  A significant portion of it is in the basement, on the 5^th floor and the 2^nd floor. Fallow space is there to give new collaborations a space where they can begin. There is a process for which we apply for fallow space and will involve the submission of a business case. If you have ideas which could benefit from being in the building, please contact Jim Young. If you have ideas of interdisciplinary work, you can contact Edmund Linfield at the Bragg Centre, as they can support your collaborations.

Once access has been given is the building compatible with existing Simon Voss fobs?

The access system is a hybrid one and the existing G2 generation fobs will work in the new Bragg building. Other users will be given smart cards to enable access. These cards are being prepared and will be made available as people migrate into the building

How will staff from other Faculties access the building?

General access to the building and all communal areas will be open during core hours with access to specific areas controlled via the Simon Voss system.

Will the building have a dedicated quiet room?

There is no quiet room in the current plans.  Wellbeing rooms are being made available in Engineering and Chemistry with links directly from Bragg.

When will the link on Level 2 to Chemistry West be open?

The link to Chemistry West is via the access control system at present.  There is also another bridge directly into Electrical Engineering.

How will access to the bike shelter be managed?

Bike shelter access will be managed via the University central provision via the Bike Hub.

Can you still access St. George’s Field from the building?

Yes St. George’s field is still accessible. Part of our planning consent was to improve access to St. George’s Field. We have improved access behind Chemistry West by installing a ramp and signage which explains the history of the field.

How big is the big Fallow application bid?

It’s difficult to put a value on it and if you have ideas, please mention them to the Bragg Centre. It has to support research across campus and across multiple schools. Get in touch with Edmund Linfield for more information.

Sir William Henry Bragg Building Cultural Programme Questions

Who do we contact if we want to contribute to the building’s Cultural Programme?

If you have any ideas for the building’s cultural programme please contact Erica Ramsay. E.ramsay@leeds.ac.uk

In the History of Art Collection why have you left out Lawrence Bragg?

Our aim is to celebrate Sir William Henry Bragg for the Nobel Prize and additional work he did during his time in Leeds and at the University. Lawrence’s contribution was limited to the Nobel Prize only. William Henry Bragg practiced at Leeds and we’d like to give him more focus because of his connections with the University.