Edinburgh's Telford College
| Contact Details: | Ray Harris, Principal, ray.harris@ed-coll.ac.uk Michael Turpie, Associate Principal Information Services, Michael.Turpie@ed-coll.ac.uk |
| Type of Project: | New build on new site. |
| Start/End Date: | The building opened in summer 2006. From start to finish the project took 5 years (2001-2006). 12-18 months was spent on raising the funds. |
Background & Context
The college was previously on 4 sites that were in a poor state of repair and no longer fit for purpose. Although the buildings offered more space than the college actually needed the design was inflexible. Trying to do anything innovative in the space was literally banging your head off a brick wall!
The College also wanted to encourage wider community involvement and use. The new campus is on a brownfield site in a waterfront location that is current undergoing redevelopment including new retail facilities, landscaping and a cycle path.
A major factor was also the desire to make better use of ICLT such that it was pervasive in all subject areas. The Principal made a declaration that there would be 'no hiding place' from ICLT.
The development is a full new campus for provision covering a wide range of curriculum areas.
The building is shaped like a pair of trousers with 'Learning Streets' down each leg and a 'Hub' at the centre.
The building is 'not just a college' it is very much a community building. Local people are encouraged to come to Telford, walk in to the Hub and eat there and have hair and beauty treatments etc.
The Hub is a food court for student and public use based on the design of those in shopping malls. It also provides a one-stop-shop for a range of student services. Artwork features prominently in the space and it can be used for performances and exhibitions.
The 'Learning Streets' are hybrid spaces where students can work together in informal groups, use PCs or laptops and arrange seating to meet their needs. Eating and drinking is not allowed but water coolers are provided.
Traditional classrooms are accessed directly off the streets and there are breakout areas directly outside the classrooms. The college also has linked IT labs separated by a wall of windows. This means that one tutor can supervise student groups doing different activities.
Flexible working by staff as well as students is encouraged. One desk is provided for every two staff so staff have to 'Hot Desk'. A few staff who spend more than 80% of their time at their desk have their own fixed desk. Not even the Principal has an office. Staff have 2m2 of storage space each and the college operates a clear desk policy.
A booking system for desks was introduced but hasn't been needed. The desks are used in tandem with working from home, etc. Laptops are widely used and some desks are 'touchdown' stations for laptop users rather than having a fixed PC.
There is an extensive staff social area with free tea and coffee and a range of types of seating. Drinking at desks is not permitted so staff are encourage to mix in the social space. Contractors clean and restock the areas throughout the day. The space is also used for informal meetings. Concerns were originally raised about confidentiality in open plan spaces so some bookable meeting rooms were provided but these are not heavily used.
The idea was to design a technology-rich building that was flexible and future-proof.
The College also wanted to encourage wider community involvement and use and the design of the building, in particular how many entrances it had, was important in bringing communities together.
Business processes are 'wrapped around everything' and the college used the new build as an opportunity to make significant changes to business processes. Since the move it has initiated a project to look at all of its corporate systems and to map the information lifecycle across all processes with a view to reducing the number of databases and the use of paper.
It was designed as a 'green' building with natural ventilation and next to no air conditioning. Green IT solutions are used wherever possible e.g. servers.
The approach to sustainability included planning IT replacement at an early stage. The College took the approach of standardising all of its IT equipment when it moved as there are clear user benefits in having the same equipment in all rooms and the College considered its replacement cycle right from the outset. It estimated the lifespan of the various components as:
- 2 years laptops
- 3 years desktop machines
- 4 years servers
- 5 years voice and data communications
- 10 years wiring/infrastructure etc
In planning for financial sustainability the College knows exactly when the spend will occur. All end user equipment is leased. Servers and infrastructure were initially funded from capital funds although servers will also be leased on renewal. The College has found this to be the most effective option as the leasing company can reclaim VAT which means that they are paying 82-90p in the pound over the lifespan of the equipment.
There are numerous logistical issues to be addressed when it is time for replacement. The College has 1,250 items of end user equipment and the original installation took 8 weeks to roll out in the new building. In the live situation there are however only 6 weeks between the end of one academic year and the beginning of the next. Various options are being considered including rollout at 50% per year over 2 years or using both the Easter and Summer breaks.
