October and November saw steady progress of works as Team Taylor ticked off several project milestones, namely the unveiling of the Foundation Stone. Prince Edward, The Duke of Edinburgh, recently visited the College to officially reveal the stone and masonry structure which has been intricately built to a traditional Scottish Baronial design. Celebrated widely across the College’s community and press, the unveiling marks a key milestone as the project moves steadily toward completion in 2024.
Beyond the Foundation Stone, another significant milestone has been the dropping of the scaffold. This has been progressively removed over the past couple of months, with the remaining half of the façade approaching completion.
Internally, the Ground Floor concrete topping slab with an integrated Indigenous artwork has been poured and finished, with the remaining internal fit-out, including joinery, progressing. The unique topping slab was designed by the Indigenous art organisation, 500 Voices which has been created with intensive research and consultation, resulting in a bespoke design culturally relevant to Country and its ancient traditions.
Both the First and Second Floors are very close to completion with the majority of high-end plaster mouldings and partition walls finished. Primary works are taking place on the Third, Fourth and Fifth Floors where plaster mouldings, joinery, carpentry, and tiling finishes are in progress. The Fifth Floor balcony balustrade is also complete with other elements of the roof structure such as slate and lead works being finalised.
The project team is facilitating regular tours of the John Cunningham Student Centre which, upon completion, is set to create a new, accessible learning and study environment delivering several key benefits to the College community. These comprise multiple new learning spaces, dedicated pastoral care and counselling facilities, improved academic research spaces, enhanced accessibility routes and new formal function rooms on the upper levels.
