My first day at East bank required an online induction as the site was still under the construction company Mace, and PPE was required. Steel toe cap shoes, and covered legs in the summer heat was a must to be allowed on site. My first day on site was exactly 4 weeks before we would be open to students and there was lots left to do.
My first impressions of the building were great. The building felt spacious and open planed, the costume rooms felt bigger and more inviting. However, the rooms were still empty. Lime Grove was the first LCF site to be moved, but as our floor had only just been given the green light for early access staff to enter, our furniture was being stored on floors below us.
Each day, more of our equipment and packing boxes arrived and we started to experiment with positioning the machines to get the most out of the space. The room layouts had been designed for us at a time where are cohort numbers were lower and so the need to fit in extra machines was necessary. Due to plug sockets being positioned for the designed layout, we were unable to make and changes and kept to the original design plan.
The most exciting change from moving to East Bank from Lime Grove is the 8 lifts compared to 0 in D Block. The idea that we can now say we are an accessible course in an accessible building is a very welcome change. But are we an accessible course?
References
Masters, S (2023) LCF East bank August 2023
Masters, S (2023) MA Costume 8th Floor August 2023
Masters, S (2023) East Bank 8th Floor lifts November 2023