XClose

Library Services

Menu

Drilling to take place near the UCL Main Library, from 04 August 2014

4 August 2014

UCL Estates are piloting the use of boreholes on campus to provide sustainable heat and cooling for UCL buildings.

Exterior of Student Centre

The first of these boreholes is being dug in the Wilkins Terrace area (behind the UCL Main Library). It will be 110 metres deep. This interesting project, which ultimately will deliver a networked Ground Source system, forms an important aspect of improving UCL's "green" credentials on the Bloomsbury Campus, and providing significant infrastructure resilience strategy benefits. Other boreholes will be implemented as part of the proposed New Student Centre and Anatomy new build construction projects over the next three years.

This work will take 5 weeks to complete. The drilling phase will take 2 weeks, starting Monday 04 August 2014.

Estates and the contractors have taken a number of steps to minimise disruption to the library and other adjoining buildings:

  • acoustic barriers are being erected around all noisy plant equipment and around concrete break-out works
  • rotary drills rather than percussive drills will be used wherever possible
  • low-vibration tools are being used where percussive work is unavoidable (for instance to break out concrete)

Please contact benjamin.meunier@ucl.ac.uk if you have any concerns about how this work affects your usage of the Main Library.