Photo gallery
This gallery traces the progress with the SOAS Library Transformation Programme during 2010 and early 2011. It starts with some images of the main Entrance at Level E before it was closed then covers the creation of the temporary entrance at Level A and the removal of about 20% of the books to an off-site store to make way for the builders.
In July 2010 the builders moved into Levels E and F, demolishing many internal walls and removing old fixtures and fittings.
By Autumn 2010 the majority of the demolition was complete and construction could start. A number of classrooms were handed over for the start of the new session in October and the main floor of Level E was starting to take shape.
The bulk of the construction work was completed by the end of December 2010. The new walls were up on the Level E of the Library for the new Group Study areas and the Main Reception areas (Reception, Membership, Issues, Enquiries and IT Help Desk); the ductwork for the mechanical ventilation was up and the new shelves were under construction.
In January 2011 the Library staff moved back into the renovated offices on the North elevation of Level E and the main staircase was re-opened, enabling access through the Library from the Temporary Entrance at Level A down to the Special Collections Reading Room and Rolling Stack areas on Level F. In February the rest of Level E was re-opened and then in March -- after some delays caused by problems with the layout -- the main entrance and reception areas were opened.
There is now a pause in the overall programme of works whilst we raise funds for the Library. It is expected that the upper four floors of the Library (D-A) will be brought up to the same standard as Level E in the second half of the decade.
