Union promises rebuild on time

The rebuild of the Students’ Union that began in May 2008 is now, after unforeseen delays, set to be completed by the start of Term Two.

Much of the construction has been finished, with the Copper Rooms and the Dirty Duck completed in time for Freshers 2009.

The new date set for the completion of the £11 million project is the start of Term Two of this year. “We are going to have the opening party on 17 January,” promised SU President Andrew Bradley.

“As soon as students come back [for Term Two],” added Isaac Newton, Acquah, the SU Communications Officer, “they can use the full venue.”

The rebuild, which has transformed the Students’ Union, has been marred with significant delays, issues with noise pollution and a tightening budget.

Still to be completed is the Terrace Bar, Piazza Cafe, atrium, deli and pool room. The latter three had been scheduled as recently as June to be ready for Freshers 2009. These additional delays have not been aknowledged by the Union though they guarantee that everything is running on schedule.

Some students who were at Warwick last year wonder if this new deadline of January 2010 will be met, having faced major delays last year as the rebuild was originally scheduled to be finished in Term Three of last year. Reasons given for delays included unexpected snowfall and additional electrical tests.

Another cause of the delays, which has not been previously known, was that in the plans all the measurements were two inches off. As a result everything had to be remeasured and drawn in order for the plans to reflect the actual size of the building.

When asked if a buffer had been included on the current schedule, Acquah said he assumed that the contractors had done so. “I have faith in the contractors and if there are any delays, I am confident that it won’t be a massive delay,” he added. “Most it would be is a few weeks into Term Two.”

It is important to note that the University, and not the SU, is the project manager and they will be giving the building to the SU who will then be paying rent. The project is set to be ready to hand over to the SU in December. The SU will then make small additions in time for Term Two.

The Copper Rooms opened at the end of last year and though it has received mixed reviews the Union has said the increased capacity would attract bigger acts. The SU said the rebuild was much needed as the previous facilities were outdated.

There have been a number of changes to the lineup at the Copper Rooms this year, most prominently with Score being replaced by Pop. Still on Wednesdays, the music at Pop will focus on oldies and have “a lot of cheese, but real cheese”.

Top Banana, which students last year complained had similar music to Score, features house music and chart hits. Comedy nights have been brought back every other Sunday as well, with a full line up.

One of the most important changes is that Tuesdays and Thursdays have been kept relatively free as these are the days when societies can book and use the Union facilities. “We are a Students’ Union, we need space for students to make their own parties,” said Acquah. He cited some societies who have previously used the Union for their events and also mentioned hall society balls.

Acquah was keen to emphasise that the SU is more than just a building. “One concern we have as a sabbatical team is that a lot of people are going to consider that all the SU is is a bar and a nightclub.”

He pointed out that while many students interact with the SU, through joining a society or sports team, or using their advice centre, they might not all be aware of this. “Its a good club and a good bar, but its more than that,” he added.