The opening of the newly renovated downstairs floor of Devonshire House on Streatham Campus has proven popular with students and staff.
The ambitious project cost £776,000 and was funded by The University and Students' Guild. It includes a 125m extension and the relocation of the office of the Sabbatical Officers to a more accessible area for students.
The space, now known as DH1, was previously home to various food outlets as well as a vintage clothing shop, but appeared outdated compared to The Forum, the £48m building to which it is attached.
It now includes newly designed food and drink outlets, a hairdressers and a technology shop, as well as a spacious contemporary seating area. Services provided by the Students' Guild, including the Information Point, have also been moved into the area to improve accessibility.
On viewing the space, a third year student said "The new DH1 looks great. The increase in social space was definitely needed and the Sabbs being more accessible means more students will be aware of the Guild services available to them. I'll definitely be retreating to DH1 during study breaks to catch up with friends this year."
The upstairs of the building also received a make over, and has been designed to cater for the increasing demand for study space as The University grows. The area, now known as 'The Loft' has room for 117 students and includes both group and single study space.
Rachael Gillies, President of the Students' Guild, said "One of the Students' Guild's priorities is investment in high quality facilities for our students and the refurbishment of our ground floor facilities completes an extensive redevelopment project that began back in 2011. I am delighted that we have been able to deliver this project for our members, based on what they told us they wanted from their Students' Guild facilities. Feedback from students has already been extremely positive and I'm excited to welcome all our members back to enjoy their new spaces."
↧