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University of Sunderland - Information Terraces

'The Information Terraces', The David Goldman Informatics Centre

 

This Open Plan Case Study originates from the 2007 JISC-commissioned study into the Design and Management of Technology-Rich Learning and Teaching Spaces in Further and Higher Education in the UK by Les Watson, Hugh Anderson (Principal, haa design) and Katherine Strachan (Architect, haa design).

 

Case Study tags: learning spaces, new build, open plan, information terraces, university of sunderland, north-east englandhigher education

 

Opened 1996

 

Respondent - Professor Peter Smith, Chair of Diversity

 

The "Information Terraces" is one of the longest established open-plan technology-rich spaces in a UK University. During its ten-year history it has undergone a number of changes that mostly involve enclosing, or partially enclosing, some of the open space for use as offices or activities such as specialist (grid) computing.

 

The original conception was an open-plan technology-rich teaching space - partly inspired by the "Octagon" at Staffordshire University. In its turn the Information Terraces has provided a source of ideas for other buildings such as the Technology Centre at the University of Wolverhampton. The underlying concept is one of social learning effected by having students and staff working as one together, all learning together, and 'in it' together. The metaphor for the space is linked to shipbuilding, a one time booming local industry - the building is shaped like a ship and the terraces are akin to decks of the ship, there is also a point in the building (the bridge) from where the whole space can be viewed. A modification to the entrance of the building is planned for the near future to provide informal social space that is felt is currently lacking in the building.

 

As with all buildings on the campuses of the University of Sunderland, the "Information Terraces" is a low maintenance building making extensive use of concrete and wood with white painted surfaces and solid beech doors throughout. This recipe of high quality furniture and fittings has served the University well by providing buildings of enduring quality with little evidence of wear and tear except in items of furniture that have high levels of use.

 

The 550 computers are arranged on three terraced levels, lower, upper and middle and are grouped into 'pods' for teaching purposes each with a marker flag equivalent to a room number. Pods are zones of 25 fixed PCs arranged in rows perpendicular to a teaching wall equipped with a flipchart and whiteboard. These are predominantly used for teaching but can also be used by students for 'drop in' when not booked for teaching, and have minimal separation from each of their neighbours. In general this arrangement works well although there is some noise, from printers and people as students converse during their work, when occupation is at its maximum.

The Technology Centre at the University of Wolverhampton also has the mix of teaching and 'drop in' but the arrangement of furniture is more flexible and less formal. Fixed PCs are arranged on circular desks in groups of 4 and clusters of these groupings can be booked for any required group size. This makes for a more organic working arrangement that can be tailored for small tutorial groups or full classes of 25 or more students.

 

In Sunderland and Wolverhampton there seems to be little issue with respect to the mix of 'drop in' and teaching taking place in the same space. It is described as "like working in an open-plan office". There also seems to be little issue, unlike the Trading Floor at UEL, with 'teaching' taking place in adjacent spaces. This may be because of the nature of the subjects being taught and the approach taken. In Wolverhampton a 'whole campus' approach is taken which emphasises that a variety of different learning and teaching spaces are provided and wherever possible staff should use the one best suited to the activity taking place. Certainly at Sunderland the teaching is largely workshop-based computing teaching which tends not to be teacher centred, whereas at UEL a wider range of subjects are taught with a greater instructional or teacher-centred component.

 

In the early years of the operation of the Terraces guidance on 'terrace etiquette' was drawn up and given to students but this is no longer felt to be necessary. In its place there are basic rules such as no eating and drinking and no mobile phone use. However the proposed social area that will allow eating and drinking is likely, from experience elsewhere such as at Glasgow Caledonian, to spread to other parts of the building. Whilst there is a relaxed approach to this it will test the current behavioural regime.

 

The building is actively ventilated with a centralised temperature and humidity control. The system is split into 2 zones: 1 for the 4 lecture rooms and the other for the remainder of the building.

 

Despite this there is still a large variation in environment from space to space which would likely be accounted for by the location of the space, hotter at the upper levels, and degree of enclosure. There are complaints about the temperature from those using the space but this comes mostly from those in individual offices although these have a supplementary wet radiator system. The additional enclosure of what is essentially an open-plan space, particularly on upper levels undoubtedly complicates temperature control.