Roland Levinsky Building

The Roland Levinsky Building is the University of Plymouth's flagship arts, cultural and teaching facility, completed in 2007.[1] It is located at the south of the university campus opposite the Drake Circus Shopping Centre.[2]

Roland Levinsky Building
General information
TypeEducation
Architectural styleModern
AddressRoland Levinsky Building, University of Plymouth, Drake Circus, Plymouth, England.
Coordinates50.374121°N 4.138512°W / 50.374121; -4.138512
Construction startedMarch 2005
CompletedAugust 2007
Cost£34 million
OwnerUniversity of Plymouth
Technical details
Structural systemReinforced concrete
Floor count9
Floor area13,000 square metres (140,000 sq ft)
Design and construction
Architect(s)Building Design Partnership, Henning Larsen Architects
Structural engineerScott Wilson[1]
Main contractorHBG Construction

Background

The Roland Levinsky Building is the university's flagship building, hosting open days and large events. It is home to the Faculty of Arts.[3]

The building is clad with copper sheets in a seamed-cladding technique, is 9 storeys high and has 13,000 square metres (140,000 sq ft) of floor space.[1]

Roland Levinsky Building under construction.
Roland Levinsky Building being built.
The main atrium of the Roland Levinsky Building.
The main atrium

The building contains a large four storey atrium, open-plan studios and office space, as well as a number of specialist teaching laboratories.[4]

It was named in memory of Professor Roland Levinsky,[5] academic researcher in biomedicine and Vice-Chancellor of the University of Plymouth who was killed in an accident on New Year's Day 2007 after being touched by a live power cable which had fallen down near his home during a storm.[6]

The building has been featured in many studies, including one that showed the possibility to simulate predicted energy usage of buildings.[7]

History

The building was designed by architects, Henning Larsen with Building Design Partnership.[8] It has an overall modern and industrial theme.[9] The design brief for the project called for a building that would give iconic status to the university and prove an inspiring symbol of the artistic and economic regeneration of the region.[10]

Construction of the building began in early 2004 and was completed in August 2007 with the final construction costs reaching £34m.[1]

During excavations, it was discovered that a leat was running through the proposed foundations of the building which could cause delays in construction. However, the building was completed as planned on schedule.[2]

An open day was held on 9 August 2007 to showcase the building to local construction professionals, with the building being fully opened in September 2007.[11]

In 2014, an expansion to the building was completed, called The House. It is not physically connected to the building but houses courses in the same faculty as the main building, and is designed to look very similar to the Roland Levinsky Building.[12]

In 2022 during a reshuffle of rooms in the building, the Levinsky Hall was opened as a new venue for classical music performances.[13][14]

In the same year, the ground floor of the main atrium was also renovated, the space was redesigned by students at the university. The space was designed to accommodate everyday student life and popup events.[15]

Teaching spaces

The building contains design studios, art studios, computer labs, and lecture theatres as well as the university's Digital Fabrication and Immersive Media Laboratories and architecture school.[16][17]

The building also has a senate room designed by Rock Townsend. It was originally a classroom but was renovated into a senate-like chamber used for debates and talks.[18]

The Arts Institute
Main article: The Arts Institute

The building has a large portion of its space dedicated to The Arts Institute including the Levinsky Gallery which takes up the lower floors in the tower of the building, the Levinsky Hall,[14][19] and the Jill Craigie Cinema, which is a one screen cinema used by the film students[20]

Many Arts Institute events have been held in the building, including the Sunny Symphony event, where sensors connected to a computer allowed the sunrise to compose music.[21] The University of Plymouth Contemporary Music Festival uses the building as its main venue as well.[22]

i-DAT

The Roland Levinsky Building also houses i-DAT, the university's Open Research Lab for experimentation with creative technology.[23]

Reception

The building was featured in the top 20 university buildings list after its completion,[24] and has been featured in an article as one of the world's most "spectacular" university buildings.[25]

Awards
Year Award Result Ref
2007 Best New Building - Abercrombie Architectural Design Awards Won [26]
2008 Structural Awards - Institution of Structural Engineers Won [27]

Student protest

In 2007, students protested against the building when the fine art, 3D design and graphic design courses moved to Plymouth from the university's Exeter campus to consolidate the Faculty of Arts. Students said that studio space was cramped, and the ventilation system makes oil-based paints hazardous to use. The architects of the building blamed the university, saying that the building was never designed to accommodate so many departments.[28]

Incidents

On 15 October 2022 the building was evacuated due to a bomb threat. A lecturer at the university said that they were told there was a bomb hidden inside a piano in the Levinsky Hall where an event was taking place. It was later confirmed to be a hoax created by youths attempting to disrupt the event.[29]

In April 2023, a cat from Ipswich climbed the building and got stuck on a ledge.[30] The cat was rescued by a student calling a window cleaning company to get the cat down as the university's estates team did not have the correct type of ladder to reach it safely.[31]

References
  1. "The Roland Levinsky Building, Plymouth University". Scott Wilson website. Archived from the original on 21 April 2008. Retrieved 29 June 2023.
  2. "Roland Levinsky building | PLYMOUTH.GOV.UK". www.plymouth.gov.uk. Retrieved 29 June 2023.
  3. "Undergraduate open day". University of Plymouth. 30 September 2023. Retrieved 29 June 2023.
  4. "Roland Levinsky Building | AJ Buildings Library". www.ajbuildingslibrary.co.uk. Retrieved 29 June 2023.
  5. Standing, Simon. "The Roland Levinsky Building". Simon Standing. Retrieved 3 July 2023.
  6. Lipsett, Anthea (30 November 2007). "Respected academic died after being electrocuted by power line". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 29 June 2023.
  7. "Climate Change Risk Management for Buildings" (PDF). Fraunhofer IRB. Retrieved 3 July 2023.
  8. "Roland Levinsky Building by Building Design Partnership". The Architects’ Journal. 29 May 2008. Retrieved 3 July 2023.
  9. "Commercial Carpet & Flooring - GH Commercial". www.ghcommercial.com. Retrieved 29 June 2023.
  10. didbygraham. "The Roland Levinsky Building". Retrieved 29 June 2023.
  11. 2007-08-03T00:00:00. "Plymouth University's new arts complex". Building Design. Retrieved 3 July 2023.
  12. "BUR1002 - Burwell Website". www.burwellarchitects.com. Retrieved 29 June 2023.
  13. "Plymouth's Levinsky Hall opens with inaugural season". Classical Music. Retrieved 29 June 2023.
  14. leahmaarit (20 August 2022). "Levinsky Hall - a new classical music venue bringing world-class musicians to Plymouth". Plymouth Chronicle. Retrieved 29 June 2023.
  15. "Design students create pop-style activity space at the University of Plymouth". Architecture & Design. Retrieved 29 June 2023.
  16. "Digital Fabrication and Immersive Media Laboratories (DFIML)". University of Plymouth. Retrieved 29 June 2023.
  17. "BLS BDP Henning Larsen/Roland Levinsky Building. AJ 16.08.2007, Architects' Journal - Publication Index | NBS". www.thenbs.com. Retrieved 29 June 2023.
  18. "Rock Townsend - Senate Room, University of Plymouth". Rock Townsend. Retrieved 29 June 2023.
  19. "Levinsky Hall - a new classical music venue bringing world-class musicians to the South-West announces its inaugural season". Whats On South West. 8 August 2022. Retrieved 3 July 2023.
  20. "Roland Levinsky Building". University of Plymouth. Retrieved 29 June 2023.
  21. "Sunny symphony at Plymouth University". 26 February 2010. Retrieved 3 July 2023.
  22. "Plymouth...a pearl on the seashore". The Independent. 21 February 2010. Retrieved 29 June 2023.
  23. "Info". i-DAT. Retrieved 3 July 2023.
  24. "Roland Levinsky Building | Commercial projects". Dudley's Aluminium. Retrieved 29 June 2023.
  25. "Grade A Architecture: The World's Most Spectacular University Buildings". ArchDaily. 25 February 2014. Retrieved 3 July 2023.
  26. "THE ABERCROMBIE AWARDS 2007" (PDF). Plymouth City Council.
  27. "Awards". henninglarsen.com. Retrieved 29 June 2023.
  28. Vaughan, Richard (22 November 2007). "Plymouth University arts building sparks student protest". The Architects’ Journal. Retrieved 29 June 2023.
  29. Simpson, Zhara (15 October 2022). "Plymouth venue evacuated over piano bomb hoax". PlymouthLive. Retrieved 29 June 2023.
  30. Davies, Brooke (26 April 2023). "Cat that travelled hundreds of miles rescued by window cleaner". Metro. Retrieved 29 June 2023.
  31. Eve, Carl (25 April 2023). "Cat travelled 325 miles to Plymouth and got stuck on a ledge". PlymouthLive. Retrieved 29 June 2023.
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