Last week staff and student representatives gathered for the launch of h-bar, the new staff and postgraduate student pub and cafe at South Kensington.

The facility, which is run by Imperial College Union and Campus Services, is part of a larger redevelopment of Level 0 of the Sherfield Building which also include a new bookable activity room.

For h-bar’s opening night Provost Professor James Stirling and Imperial College Union President David Goldsmith tried their hands at pulling inaugural pints. Staff and student representatives were joined by the contractors who had worked on the project.

Welcoming the attendees Professor Stirling said: “I’m delighted that h-bar is open for business and would like to thank everyone involved in the project for their work.

“Often when we talk about Imperial’s excellent facilities we think in terms of state-of-the-art labs, mass spectrometers and the like, but given that Imperial’s most powerful asset is the people who work and study here, the amenities we have on campus which enhance their overall experience are very important.”

'Imperial's most powerful asset is the people who work and study here, so the amenities we have on campus which enhance their overall experience are very important' - Provost James Stirling

David Goldsmith added: “H-bar will facilitate what is great about the Imperial postgraduate experience and the collaborative nature of research between students and academics."

A committee including staff and students, drawing on suggestions submitted by the College community, selected the name ‘h-bar’, physics shorthand for the quantum of angular momentum.

For opening times and more information see h-bar’s webpage: //www3.imperial.ac.uk/eatinganddrinking/cateringoutlets/hbar

A selection of images from the opening night: