Summary:

• The Co-Op has reopened after a temporary closure – access to the Co-Op is currently via the Refectory Road entrance only;
• Staff can continue to work on floor 4 of Bramber House as usual;
• Staff who work in the North of Bramber House on floors 1 and 2 can continue to work as usual;
• All other staff have been temporarily moved;
• The conference and events suite (floor 3) is closed;
• Access to Bramber House for staff is only from the entrances on the East/Refectory Road side of the building and an access card is required;
• There is no access to floors 1-4 of the building for students.

You may be aware of a situation that has developed this week that affects those working in and visiting Bramber House, including the Co-Op, which has reopened after a temporary closure. The concrete that was used to build Bramber House has been identified as having weaknesses, and as such work needs to be undertaken to partition off the stairwells along the West side (Arts Path) side of the building while surveys are undertaken which will inform what remedial works are needed.

Estates colleagues are working hard to prioritise restoring as much of the building to use as possible and, put in place a programme of remedial works, both the short and long term, which will bring Bramber House back into full use.

The current situation

• The Co-Op has reopened after a temporary closure;
• Access to the Co-Op lobby is currently via the Refectory Road entrance only; the entrances from the Arts Path (South West) side is closed;
• The three staircases located along the West side of Bramber House are closed;
• Eat Central is open as usual, though access is only via the entrance from the terrace/seating area adjoining Arts Path.
• The lift in the Co-Op lobby can only serve the Ground floor and floor 4

Colleagues based on floor 4 are still able to work as usual, as are those in the Northern section of the building on the first and second floors (Student Services and Housing). All other colleagues have been temporarily relocated to other buildings on campus, or are working remotely.

Next steps

• Works to build a partition around the stairwell in the Co-Op lobby was prioritised meaning that the Co-Op has been able to reopen. Works in the building continue. 
• The 3 main stairwells located on the Arts Path/West side of Bramber House are to remain closed for the time being. Work is underway to construct safety partitions between the stairwells and lobbies on floors ground, 1, 2 and 3. Once these are constructed and have passed safety checks, it will be possible to start opening up some parts of the building. Once the partitions on the West side stairwells is complete, we will be able to open up parts of floors Ground, 1 and 2.

For the time being staff needing to access Bramber House can do so via the stairwells adjoining Refectory Road, at the SE and SW ends of the building. An access card is required.

A full risk assessment of Bramber House has been conducted to ensure safe occupancy and evacuation can be maintained during this stage of remedial works. Staff on floor 4 should follow evacuation procedures as usual, and staff on all other levels should evacuate using the fire escape routes on Rectory Road side of the building. 

Conferences and events

If you have events booked on floor 3 of Bramber House please note that the Commercial and Conferencing teams are currently assessing for identifying alternative venues, in chronological order. They are fully aware of the implications of the closure of and the team are actively working on solutions. They will be in contact with colleagues who have bookings to discuss the options. Please do not try and book alternative venues yourselves as priority has to be given to relocating any teaching that is disrupted by the changes.

We will share more information when we have it.