The programme document for Naturvetenskap Life was estimated to take 4-5 months of work and was supposed to be completed by the end of 2017. For various reasons, work has been delayed. After a period of focusing and processing, which will soon be completed, there will be enough information to decide on the next stage of the process in June. Important pieces of puzzles need to be put in place before then. The programme document is expected to be completed in September.
The work during the autumn resulted in an increased house area compared to the preliminary study. At the end of February, the steering group found that the preliminary cost estimates showed that the new house would generate a rental increase by 40-50 percent compared with today’s levels. A fact that is not in line with the faculty board’s decision on cost neutrality. After that, much work has been devoted to looking at how costs can be reduced. The programme group has been working to reduce the area of activity by planning for a larger degree of general laboratories and joint classrooms. At the same time, the architects have processed the building’s basic design to make the area more efficient. Akademiska hus have investigated the possibilities of reducing production costs.
“Now the area is reduced and is at a level comparable to the preliminary study. The house will, among other things, have a multi auditorium that can accommodate 160 people. We have reduced the number of teaching laboratories and computer rooms, “says project manager Anna Skoog.
Work on the placement of activities in the house will continue with the goal that the premises will also facilitate cooperation across department boundaries through flexible solutions and a good flow in the house.
Several Study Visits have been Made
During the spring, the programme and steering groups visited several newly built research laboratories to learn from others who have undergone new and rebuilding. Astra Zeneca in Mölndal, ANA8 and Neo at Karolinska institutet in Huddinge have been visited. Two study visits have also been made to the Department of Architecture and Civil Engineering at Chalmers.
The Need for Workplaces in Naturvetenskap Life
The number of employees at the departments involved in the project is currently approximately 390 persons. Most of these work on labs, with teaching and at an office workplace. In order to progress in the programme work and complete the programme document, the steering group has made a policy decision for the office work places in Naturvetenskap Life. In the further planning, the workplaces will be designed according to the principle below.
For 400 employees:
- 40 individual rooms, about 5 square meters
- 360 workplaces in 4-8-person offices, about 5 sqm/work place
- 100 free workplaces for graduate and temporary visitors can be placed in open environments
- 3-4 telephone rooms per semi-house and floor
“We need to find a flexible solution for the future that is also cost neutral and therefore it will not be only individual offices. Instead, it will be a mix of individual office rooms and rooms with space for more people. We have been inspired by others that have worked on new and rebuilding of premises,” says Dean Elisabet Ahlberg also chairman of the steering committee.
In mid-June, a new rental estimate is expected to be completed and after that, contracts for further planning can then be signed between the university and Akademiska Hus.
“A prerequisite for a decision to proceed with the process in June is that the rental estimate is considered cost neutral and that the revised programme provides an attractive and flexible building,” says Dean Elisabet Ahlberg.