June 2015 update

In less than two weeks’ time from 15 June, the pedestrian route through Houghton Street and Clare Market will be closed as our demolition contractor Cantillon takes possession of the CBR site by erecting hoardings and setting up site accommodation in The Anchorage.  

In the first week of the closures, student stewards and helpers will be on hand in key locations across the campus to help with orientation.  

If you want fliers or posters of this map please email estates.centrebuildings@lse.ac.uk 

 

CBR Complaints and Queries Procedure

We are doing all that we can to minimise the impact of the CBR works but, inevitably as with all major construction projects, there will be unforeseen problems and questions which will arise.

We have established a formal process for recording and attending to CBR Complaints and Queries which is available in full here (pdf).  A summary is set out below. 

To ensure that enquiries and complaints are dealt with in the most efficient and effective manner customers are requested to follow the steps in this procedure. This will enable the Estates Division to investigate and address the queries and complaints as well as to allow the customer to receive prompt response and resolution. We cannot guarantee that our target response times will be met if the enquiries are not logged through the correct channels.

Where possible, please contact the Estates Customer Services Manager directly: 

Jas Sidhu, j.sidhu@lse.ac.uk DD: 020 7955 7778, internal Ext 7778

Alternatively contact the Estates Help Desk, Estates-Help-Desk@lse.ac.uk but copy to J.Sidhu@lse.ac.uk

The severity rating of the complaint will be determined by the Estates Division. The general definitions of these, and the timescales for our responses, are in the following table. 

CBR severity rating

Severity Rating	Severity Description	Deadline for response	Definition
1	Minor	Within 7 working days	All queries relating to CBR works, e.g. timescales, design, potential impact of future operations.
2	Moderate	Within 4 working days	All complaints and queries arising from the works, e.g. general disturbance, impact on cleaning, access issues.
3	Major	Within 12 hours if logged before noon, within 24 hours if logged after noon	All noise, dust and vibration complaints causing severe nuisance or disturbance, any health and safety related issues, any issues concerning staff or contractor behaviour.

Please note that if you report an emergency we will attend to it immediately; the timescales set out above are for our formal responses.  

How to keep cool

LSE Estates policy and procedure for the use of Portable Air-Conditioning Units

Background

During the Centre Building Redevelopment project some working spaces adjacent to the demolition/construction area may experience higher than normal room temperatures during the summer months as a result of having to keep windows closed.

To mitigate the impact the Estates Division has hired a number of portable air-conditioning (A/C) units.  These units need to vent their hot air exhaust to an outer space e.g. corridor, lobby, ceiling void or to the outside. Therefore not all rooms/areas are suitable to use these. Desk-top or pedestal electric fans may also be an acceptable alternative and these will be also be issued by Estates.

Making a request

Requests for portable air-conditioning units must be made by email to the Estates Helpdesk by the relevant departmental manager. Individual requests from staff will be redirected back to the appropriate departmental manager.  

To make a request the Departmental Manager must contact the Estates Customer Services Manager:

Jas Sidhu, j.sidhu@lse.ac.uk DD 020 7955 7778, internal Ext 7778

Alternatively please contact Help Desk, Estates-Help-Desk@lse.ac.uk but copy your email to J.Sidhu@lse.ac.uk

Only a limited number of units will be available and therefore their use will be controlled and issued only on a supply/demand basis using the set criterion (see below).  Following each request, Estates will determine if the criteria threshold has been triggered. 

Each department will be responsible for ensuring the impact of each unit is maximised by placing them for the benefit of the largest number of staff in order to provide the best environment in which to work.  Cool zones may need to be created to allow staff/students a refuge area if high temperatures are experienced for a period of time. Estates may request the return of A/C units if they consider they are being underutilised. 

Criteria for the issue of Portable A/C Units:

The following criteria will need to apply before a request for the issue of a portable A/C unit will be considered:

• You are in a building selected for the installation of secondary glazing as a consequence of being adjacent to the CBR development site, see map below.  AND
• The workplace temperature has exceeded 30^oC for more than 72 consecutive working hours.

The criterion for issuing portable air conditioning units is based upon the interpretation of a combination of four factors:

1. the Met Office temperature data and
2. when a ‘heatwave’ is experienced and
3. when the outside air temperature is higher than average and
4. where windows cannot be opened due to disruption from the CBR works

Further information on the first three criteria is set out below. 

• A heatwave refers to a prolonged period of hot weather which may be accompanied by high humidity. Although in the UK there is no official definition of a heatwave, the World Metrological Organisation definition is “when the daily maximum temperature of more than five consecutive days exceeds the average maximum temperature by 5 degrees C, the normal period being 1961-1990”

• Workplace temperatures are covered by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) in ACOP (Workplace Health, Safety and Welfare Regulations 1992. Approved Code of Practice).The HSE has defined thermal comfort as follows: “An acceptable zone of thermal comfort for most people in the UK lies roughly between 13^oC and 30^oC with acceptable temperatures for more strenuous work activities concentrated towards the bottom end of the range, and more sedentary activities towards the higher end”.  Furthermore HSE has stated that “the best that you can realistically hope to achieve is a thermal environment that satisfies the majority of people in the workplace, or put more simply, ‘reasonable comfort’.

• The Met Office in conjunction with the Department of Health provides a Heat-Health watch system for England. The Heat-health watch system comprises levels of response based upon threshold maximum daytime and minimum night-time temperatures.  These thresholds vary by region but an average threshold temperature is 30^oC. 

Alert for Cyclists

The CBR works mean that the cycle parking in Grange Court beside the Tower steps and in Clements Inn Passage will cease to be available during June. 

The School is committed to the use of sustainable transport by staff and students and we appreciate that cycle parking is well used across the campus.  Therefore we will replace as much of the lost cycle parking as soon as possible.

We will soon be installing new cycle parking racks outside Tower 1 to replace the provision lost at Grange Court and Clements Inn Passage.  While our intention is to have these in place before the others are removed the timing is dependent on contractors’ timescales.

Alternative cycle parking facilities in the vicinity of the School can be found in the following locations.

Cycle storage location	Access requirements	Number of  bike parking spaces	Closest shower facilities
Towers Basement	Access with LSE ID card	66	Tower 2 Basement B.14
New Academic Building (NAB) Basement	Access with LSE ID card	36	NAB Basement
32 Lincoln's Inn Fields	Outdoor open access	84	32L Basement
Clare Market	Outdoor open access	12	Old Building basement
George IV	Outdoor open access	20	NAB Basement
Grange Court	Outdoor open access	8	Lionel Robbins Building
John Watkins Plaza	Outdoor open access	68	Lionel Robbins Building
Lincoln’s Inn Fields	Outdoor open access	56	NAB Basement
Sardinia Street	Outdoor open access	18	NAB basement
Saw Swee Hock Student Centre (SAW)	Outdoor open access	20	SAW 4th floor
Portugal Street	Outdoor open access	38	Lionel Robbins Building
Parish Hall	Outdoor open access	20	Old Building basement
Peacock Theatre	Outdoor open access	10	Old Building basement