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General FAQs
We have received a philanthropic pledge from His Highness Sheikh Dr Sultan bin Muhammed Al Qasimi, the Ruler of Sharjah, to create the new facility and foster interdisciplinary studies and teaching that builds on our existing strengths and celebrates diversity, interconnectivity, and sustainability.
The new building will extend from the Institute of ) which His Highness has funded previously. New spaces will enhance 黑料社’s international reputation in Area Studies, and in particular its work in culture, languages and heritage.
It will be a new focal point for 黑料社’s student community. It will provide an inclusive space for all students to gather, interact and learn in a setting that celebrates diversity, interconnectivity, and sustainability. Uniquely, the facilities will incorporate academics and students from across 黑料社’s three faculties, with a particular research focus on the Middle East region and the Global South.鈥�
The new facility will be constructed in the Diamond Jubilee International Garden (the paved area between Reed Hall Mews and the Institute for Arabic and Islamic Studies).
Galliford Try has been appointed as the preferred contractor.
We are working closely with Galliford Try to plan the construction work and to minimise disruption to colleagues, students and visitors where possible. Galliford Try are part of the , which ensures they have high standards in managing risks, protecting the environment and developing positive relationships with the local community.
The project team are working closely with key colleagues in the area and the contractors to manage the planned works and minimise disruption in the area as much as possible.
We are committed to keeping colleagues, students and neighbours informed throughout the duration of the project. Regular, detailed updates on disruption and noise levels will begin to be shared and continue throughout the project, these details will also be uploaded to the project web page.
If you have any questions, please email AlQasimiBuilding@exeter.ac.uk mailbox and a member of the project team will come back to you.
We are working closely with Galliford Try to plan the construction work and to minimise disruption to colleagues, students and visitors where possible.
The construction team will use modern machinery, low noise and vibration methods, acoustic barriers, dampen down dusty areas and wash the wheels of vehicles leaving the site to minimise the impact of the activity on those working and living nearby.
There will be noise, dust and vibration monitors in place across the site to continually ensure the contractors are within appropriate levels.
All key University events, including exam periods, offer holder visitor days and open days, are detailed in the construction programme and within the project team’s weekly lookahead documents. The project team and the contractor will consider the impact of the work on these events and mitigation measures to reduce the impact of the construction activity.
There are some important changes to pedestrian and vehicle access and parking in the area:
- The Diamond Jubilee International Garden area will be closed and fenced off. There will be no access to the garden and footpaths leading to the garden will be closed.
- There will be footpath diversions in place in the area which will be clearly signposted. Footpaths will be diverted up Mardon Hill, around the IAIS building or in front of Reed Hall.
- Mardon Hill will become a single lane for vehicles and traffic light controlled.
- Car parking changes – Reed Hall car park (behind the building and the road leading to the car park) will be closed. Car parking bays at the side of Mardon Hall (next to Mardon Hill) and the parking bays on Mardon Hill, opposite the Wellbeing Centre, will be closed. We are considering options to relocate the accessible car parking bays in the area and we will provide more details soon. Car parking in Reed Hall Mews will remain unchanged. The Reed Hall car park on Streatham Drive is for event visitors only.
- The working hours of the construction team will be Monday to Friday from 08:00 to 18:00 (with contractors arriving from 07:30) and Saturdays from 08:00 to 13:00. There may be some weekend and out of hours working when needed and this activity will be communicated to key stakeholders in the area.
- The IAIS Seminar Room 1 and Seminar Room 2 will be closed and will be occupied by the Galliford Try team for project management and administration functions.
- The IAIS terrace will remain open. Hoarding will be installed on the edge of the terrace to the garden area to reduce the impact of noise and dust. The hoarding will have viewing sections to allow people to see the progress on site.
Traffic will be managed to avoid congestion in an already busy area of campus. Deliveries will be pre-booked time slots that are convenient, avoid peak times and ensure a steady flow of traffic. Deliveries will use defined, approved routes and traffic marshals will be in place to manage the flow of vehicles, working closely with the Bouygues UK team who manage the West Park project nearby.
The project will begin on site from June 2026 and is expected to complete ahead of the 2028/29 academic year.
We will provide more details on the construction programme soon.
The working hours of the construction team will be Monday to Friday from 08:00 to 18:00 (with contractors arriving from 07:30) and Saturdays from 08:00 to 13:00. There may be some weekend and out of hours working when needed and this activity will be communicated to key stakeholders in the area.
Sustainability and reducing carbon emissions are fundamental to the design of the new building. The University is committed to achieving carbon neutrality in terms of regulated carbon emissions, through a combination of sustainability initiatives in the design, construction and maintenance phases of the new building.
The building project is aiming to be a Passivhaus design to ensure the highest environmental standards. Passivhaus adopts a whole-building approach with clear, measured targets, focussed on high-quality construction, certified through an exacting quality assurance process.
The team will make best use of the existing walls and materials on site. The building will include solar panels on the roof, to take advantage of its sunny location.