A £74.5 million investment in world class facilities for Imperial engineers

The Royal School of Mines (RSM) and Bessemer buildings hold an important place in Imperial’s history. RSM was built on land granted by the 1851 Commission, the organisation established by Queen Victoria to mastermind the Great Exhibition. In 1907 the building was used by the newly-formed Imperial College as a base from which to develop as an institution, an expansion that led to the integration of the Bessemer Laboratory for Metallurgy when it opened in 1912.

During the 1950s and 1960s, RSM and Bessemer were adapted through the Jubilee Expansion Scheme, established by Rector Sir Roderic Hill to meet the scientific and technological challenges of the time. Fifty years later the Higher Education Funding Council for England had a similar aim when, in 2001, it launched the first round of the Science Research Investment Fund (SRIF) to improve and invest in science infrastructure. RSM and Bessemer have benefited substantially from the fund and during the three rounds to date have received awards totalling nearly £38.5 million.

All the RSM and Bessemer departments – Materials, Bioengineering and Earth Science and Engineering— now have renovated accommodation with laboratories that are fit for purpose. Dr Mark Rehkamper’s lab, constructed in 2005, is made entirely from non-metallic material and is a dust-free environment, thanks to its supply of highly filtered air. He explained that, for his research into isotope   geochemistry in the Department of Earth Science and Engineering, the clean environment is vital to achieve accurate results, as it is used to prepare samples for isotope analyses of trace metals, which must remain free from contamination. Mark’s findings include calculating timescales in the formation of the solar system and showing the Earth’s internal workings.

The rejuvenation of this area of the College has also created modern space for newcomers to the buildings, including the Institute of Biomedical Engineering and the Incubator for spin-out companies managed by Imperial Innovations. Still to move in are the Porter Institute, the Ceramics Centre, the Thomas Young Centre and members of the London Centre for Nanotechnology.

Dr Neil Varey, Faculty Operating Officer for Engineering and director of the projects in RSM and Bessemer, said of the work, “It’s been a massive operation but the refurbishment really does the buildings justice. Spaces that were typical of the 1960s have been brought up to date. For example, the RSM foyer from Prince Consort Road now truly reflects the grandeur of the external façade.”

The third phase of projects is due to be completed by summer 2009 and will mark the full transformation of RSM and Bessemer into research and teaching facilities fit for modern day engineers.

New home for Bioengineering

The project to refurbish the buildings for the Department of Bioengineering to move into began in February 2007 and is due to complete by May 2008.

The Department is already benefiting from purpose-built spaces in Bessemer. Researchers examining how the brain processes visual information are now making use of special facilities for breeding insects and there is a room specifically for tissue and organ culture. When the Department moves into the other areas in RSM in April, they will have space for visualisation equipment used in surgical planning and rooms for students to undertake project construction.

As well as providing new facilities for the Department, the refurbishment has enabled the consolidation of a department that was previously spread across the South Kensington Campus. Creating an environment to promote collaboration was a key principle behind the renovation and so the new working areas incorporate communal space that may be used for impromptu meetings. The location of the Department adjacent to the Institute of Biomedical Engineering also allows interaction with scientists based there.

“It gives a tangible affirmation of the College’s desire to advance bioengineering at Imperial, and offers our staff and students the purpose built facilities that will help them do world leading research,” said Professor Ross Ethier, Head of Department. “Most important, it gathers members of the Department from the eight sites we occupied across the campus, and will enable greater interaction among researchers – just what is needed for the interdisciplinary field that is modern bioengineering.”

New flexible area in RSM roof space

The completed refurbishment of the RSM will include new facilities in a large roof space on the third floor as a result of a project recently initiated by the Faculty of Engineering with additional funding provided by Goldsmiths’ Company. The new area will consist of a café, a common room and two seminar rooms which can be used separately or together to seat up to 90 people by opening the sliding partitions between the four sections.

Paddy Jackman, Director of Commercial Services, said:  “This project has enabled the creation of an extremely flexible area. As well as its core function of providing seminar space and a cafe, the individual rooms can be combined to form a quality venue which will be available for departments within the Faculty of Engineering to use for high profile events and activities.”