Senate Room Refurbishment, Gilbert Scott Building (CP08/161)

Project Services was requested to develop a brief for a major refurbishment of the Senate Room.  The refurbished Senate Suite was required to provide prestigious, flexible spaces which in addition to accommodating the formal University Senate and Court meetings, could be utilised for academic and corporate presentations, social events, post-graduate teaching, small conferences and seminars, and formal and informal meetings.  The specification therefore required very specific services such as lighting and lighting control, decoration, fixtures and finishes, communications and media provision, acoustic design and flexible designs with easily reconfigured loose furniture.   

The distinctive gothic windows will re-emerge as the key historical feature of the refurbished space, opening up the views across the city and the University quadrangles, restoring the proportions of the space and revealing its historical character and giving the suite a clearer sense of space.

The designers have used a restrained palette of high quality finishes, predominantly hardwood, leather upholstery, loop-pile carpeting and generously proportioned glass screens and doors within the magnificence of the original stone and plasterwork.

The Gustafs panelling system provides acoustic absorbency, concealed services and positioning to hang paintings and works of art from the University's art collections.  The ceiling rafts combine Armstrong's standard metal Orcal system with a knife edge canopy profile. 

The project, due for completion by the end of January 2010, is being managed by John Gillies, Terry Millar and Ron Dorran.

Visual from a collection approved by Glasgow City Planning, Historic Scotland and the University Court.