Dennis Sciama Building, University of Portsmouth
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James Gallie Download Original
Teaching and resource building for University of Portsmouth in a tight urban setting
The Dennis Sciama Building provides a new social hub for Portsmouth University's north campus - the ground floor houses all catering for students and staff.
On the top floor, with a terrace and views to the south, is the Institute of Cosmology and Gravitation, with two general teaching floors below. The design is a calm and carefully proportioned response to the listed 19th century cottages to the south and the large-scale modern University buildings to the north and west.
From a sustainability point of view, the building is ambitious, and provides light and airy naturally ventilated spaces, using central voids to pull air through the building and expel it at high level.
Data
- Begun: Aug 2007
- Completed: Dec 2008
- Floor area: 3,500m2
- Sector: Education
- Total cost: £5.9M
- Procurement: JCT/Design and Build
- Address: University of Portsmouth, Institute of Cosmology and Gravitation, Mercantile House, Hampshire Terrace, Portsmouth, PO1 2EG, United Kingdom
Professional Team 
- Architect: van Heyningen and Haward Architects
- Project architect: James Gallie
- Client: University of Portsmouth
- Project architect: James Gallie
- Main contractor: Mansells
- Quantity surveyor: Davis Langdon LLP
- Planning supervisor: Denley King Construction
- Structural engineer: WSP
- M&E engineer: Fulcrum Consulting/ WW
- Lift Consultant: JB Lift Consultants
- Acoustic engineer: Ove Arup & Partners
- Landscape architect: The Terra Firma Consultancy
- Approved building inspector : Butler
- Planning consultant: Atisreal UK