Attenborough Building
Encyclopedia
The Attenborough Building is the tallest building on the campus of the University of Leicester
, and houses arts
and humanities
departments
.
The building comprises three distinct elements: an 18-storey towerblock containing 270 offices and tutorial rooms; a low-rise building, known within the University as the Attenborough Seminar Block, containing seminar
rooms and computing facilities; and an underground area housing two large lecture
theatres and the University Film Theatre.
It was designed by Arup Associates
and constructed 1968–70 with Ove Arup
as the chief engineers. The university's development plan at the time called for two other similar towers, but these were never built.
The building was named after Frederick Attenborough
, who was principal of the then University College 1931–1951, and father of Richard
and David Attenborough
. At the time of the opening ceremony, Frederick was old and frail, so the building was opened on his behalf by his youngest son John. Until the renovations of 2005, a portrait of Frederick hung in the foyer.
The tower reaches a height of 52 metres, making it one of the tallest buildings in the city. It is constructed with a concrete
frame, cast in-situ, and clad with pre-cast concrete panels. The slanting aluminium-framed windows protrude outwards at the bottom to aid draught-free ventilation throughout the year. Each floor consists of three leaves of space containing the offices. These are separated by the central lobby and service area, which contains a staircase, lift
, and one of the few surviving paternoster
s in the United Kingdom
. The lowest two levels of the tower house a plant
room with a boiler
that serves half of the entire university campus. Visitors descending on the paternoster must alight at floor 2, otherwise must wait as the compartment traverses the pit and emerges the other side. Travelling "over the top" or "underneath" on the paternoster is considered a rite of passage
by many students at the University.
The University's hilltop location makes the top floor of the tower one of the best vantage points in the city, to the extent that the University have fixed a notice at the base of the tower warning tourists that it is not open for the public "to view the city from a height". The top floor houses the Beyond Distance Research Alliance and music
practice rooms, including a full-size grand piano, until it was moved out on 29 March 2007. In high winds, the top of the tower can be felt to sway significantly.
The seminar block includes the main entrance to the building. It is connected to the second floor of the tower by a covered bridge. It contains small teaching rooms on four levels, including one basement
level. During the summer of 2005, the block underwent significant refurbishment, including work to install a lift to make the building conform to the Disability Discrimination Act
– previously, access to the different levels of the seminar block was by staircase only. While the base of the tower uses yellow-brown brick seen in other buildings on campus, the seminar block features a concrete finish that more closely matches Denys Lasdun
's adjacent brutalist Charles Wilson Building.
In front of the main entrance is a raised piazza
, beneath which are the subterranean lecture theatres. There are two lecture theatres, seating 204 and 96 people respectively. The third room was previously a proscenium
theatre
, and was used by the Leicester University Theatre (LUT) society for their performances. In 2003, the theatre was converted into the 144-seat University Film Theatre, featuring a projection screen and surround sound system, in preparation of the launch of a new Film Studies degree. The film theatre is also used by the students' Film Society and Anime and Manga Society.
The building should not be confused with the Richard Attenborough Centre for Disability and the Arts, which is located on the opposite side of University Road, adjacent to the University's Medical Sciences Building.
University of Leicester
The University of Leicester is a research-led university based in Leicester, England. The main campus is a mile south of the city centre, adjacent to Victoria Park and Wyggeston and Queen Elizabeth I College....
, and houses arts
ARts
aRts, which stands for analog Real time synthesizer, is an audio framework that is no longer under development. It is best known for previously being used in KDE to simulate an analog synthesizer....
and humanities
Humanities
The humanities are academic disciplines that study the human condition, using methods that are primarily analytical, critical, or speculative, as distinguished from the mainly empirical approaches of the natural sciences....
departments
Academic department
An academic department is a division of a university or school faculty devoted to a particular academic discipline. This article covers United States usage at the university level....
.
The building comprises three distinct elements: an 18-storey towerblock containing 270 offices and tutorial rooms; a low-rise building, known within the University as the Attenborough Seminar Block, containing seminar
Seminar
Seminar is, generally, a form of academic instruction, either at an academic institution or offered by a commercial or professional organization. It has the function of bringing together small groups for recurring meetings, focusing each time on some particular subject, in which everyone present is...
rooms and computing facilities; and an underground area housing two large lecture
Lecture
thumb|A lecture on [[linear algebra]] at the [[Helsinki University of Technology]]A lecture is an oral presentation intended to present information or teach people about a particular subject, for example by a university or college teacher. Lectures are used to convey critical information, history,...
theatres and the University Film Theatre.
It was designed by Arup Associates
Arup
Arup is a global professional services firm headquartered in London, United Kingdom which provides engineering, design, planning, project management and consulting services for all aspects of the built environment. The firm is present in Africa, the Americas, Australasia, East Asia, Europe and the...
and constructed 1968–70 with Ove Arup
Ove Arup
Sir Ove Nyquist Arup, CBE, MICE, MIStructE known as Ove Arup, was a leading Anglo-Danish engineer and generally considered to be one of the foremost architectural structural engineers of his time...
as the chief engineers. The university's development plan at the time called for two other similar towers, but these were never built.
The building was named after Frederick Attenborough
Frederick Attenborough
Frederick Levi Attenborough was a British academic.-Early life:He was the son of Frederick and Mary Attenborough of Stapleford in Nottinghamshire. He was educated at schools in Long Eaton. He became a teacher at the Long Eaton Higher Elementary School in 1913. This school was founded by Samuel...
, who was principal of the then University College 1931–1951, and father of Richard
Richard Attenborough
Richard Samuel Attenborough, Baron Attenborough , CBE is a British actor, director, producer and entrepreneur. As director and producer he won two Academy Awards for the 1982 film Gandhi...
and David Attenborough
David Attenborough
Sir David Frederick Attenborough OM, CH, CVO, CBE, FRS, FZS, FSA is a British broadcaster and naturalist. His career as the face and voice of natural history programmes has endured for more than 50 years...
. At the time of the opening ceremony, Frederick was old and frail, so the building was opened on his behalf by his youngest son John. Until the renovations of 2005, a portrait of Frederick hung in the foyer.
The tower reaches a height of 52 metres, making it one of the tallest buildings in the city. It is constructed with a concrete
Concrete
Concrete is a composite construction material, composed of cement and other cementitious materials such as fly ash and slag cement, aggregate , water and chemical admixtures.The word concrete comes from the Latin word...
frame, cast in-situ, and clad with pre-cast concrete panels. The slanting aluminium-framed windows protrude outwards at the bottom to aid draught-free ventilation throughout the year. Each floor consists of three leaves of space containing the offices. These are separated by the central lobby and service area, which contains a staircase, lift
Elevator
An elevator is a type of vertical transport equipment that efficiently moves people or goods between floors of a building, vessel or other structures...
, and one of the few surviving paternoster
Paternoster
A paternoster or paternoster lift is a passenger elevator which consists of a chain of open compartments that move slowly in a loop up and down inside a building without stopping. Passengers can step on or off at any floor they like...
s in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
. The lowest two levels of the tower house a plant
Physical plant
Physical plant or mechanical plant refers to the necessary infrastructure used in support and maintenance of a given facility. The operation of these facilities, or the department of an organization which does so, is called "plant operations" or facility management...
room with a boiler
Boiler
A boiler is a closed vessel in which water or other fluid is heated. The heated or vaporized fluid exits the boiler for use in various processes or heating applications.-Materials:...
that serves half of the entire university campus. Visitors descending on the paternoster must alight at floor 2, otherwise must wait as the compartment traverses the pit and emerges the other side. Travelling "over the top" or "underneath" on the paternoster is considered a rite of passage
Rite of passage
A rite of passage is a ritual event that marks a person's progress from one status to another. It is a universal phenomenon which can show anthropologists what social hierarchies, values and beliefs are important in specific cultures....
by many students at the University.
The University's hilltop location makes the top floor of the tower one of the best vantage points in the city, to the extent that the University have fixed a notice at the base of the tower warning tourists that it is not open for the public "to view the city from a height". The top floor houses the Beyond Distance Research Alliance and music
Music
Music is an art form whose medium is sound and silence. Its common elements are pitch , rhythm , dynamics, and the sonic qualities of timbre and texture...
practice rooms, including a full-size grand piano, until it was moved out on 29 March 2007. In high winds, the top of the tower can be felt to sway significantly.
The seminar block includes the main entrance to the building. It is connected to the second floor of the tower by a covered bridge. It contains small teaching rooms on four levels, including one basement
Basement
__FORCETOC__A basement is one or more floors of a building that are either completely or partially below the ground floor. Basements are typically used as a utility space for a building where such items as the furnace, water heater, breaker panel or fuse box, car park, and air-conditioning system...
level. During the summer of 2005, the block underwent significant refurbishment, including work to install a lift to make the building conform to the Disability Discrimination Act
Disability Discrimination Act 1995
The Disability Discrimination Act 1995 is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom which has now been repealed and replaced by the Equality Act 2010 , except in Northern Ireland where the Act still applies...
– previously, access to the different levels of the seminar block was by staircase only. While the base of the tower uses yellow-brown brick seen in other buildings on campus, the seminar block features a concrete finish that more closely matches Denys Lasdun
Denys Lasdun
Sir Denys Lasdun CH was an eminent English architect. Probably his best known work is the Royal National Theatre, on London's South Bank of the Thames, which is a Grade II* listed building and one of the most notable examples of Brutalist design in the United Kingdom.Lasdun studied at the...
's adjacent brutalist Charles Wilson Building.
In front of the main entrance is a raised piazza
Piazza
A piazza is a city square in Italy, Malta, along the Dalmatian coast and in surrounding regions. The term is roughly equivalent to the Spanish plaza...
, beneath which are the subterranean lecture theatres. There are two lecture theatres, seating 204 and 96 people respectively. The third room was previously a proscenium
Proscenium
A proscenium theatre is a theatre space whose primary feature is a large frame or arch , which is located at or near the front of the stage...
theatre
Theatre
Theatre is a collaborative form of fine art that uses live performers to present the experience of a real or imagined event before a live audience in a specific place. The performers may communicate this experience to the audience through combinations of gesture, speech, song, music or dance...
, and was used by the Leicester University Theatre (LUT) society for their performances. In 2003, the theatre was converted into the 144-seat University Film Theatre, featuring a projection screen and surround sound system, in preparation of the launch of a new Film Studies degree. The film theatre is also used by the students' Film Society and Anime and Manga Society.
The building should not be confused with the Richard Attenborough Centre for Disability and the Arts, which is located on the opposite side of University Road, adjacent to the University's Medical Sciences Building.
Thoughts on the building
Due to its unusual design, it has been compared by Leicester residents to a giant "cheese grater".External links
- A video clip of new students trying the paternoster in the Attenborough Tower
- Attenborough Building, Leicester University, Arup Associates (page no longer available, retrieved from the Internet Archive)
- University of Leicester Development Plan 2002 (page no longer available, retrieved from the Internet Archive)
- Attenborough Building Centrally Timetabled Rooms, University of Leicester Audio Visual Services