Despite the recent discovery that a long-term solution will be needed to strengthen the stairs in the newly refurbished Regent House, it has opened this week as a visitor centre for the summer. College has said the room remains safe for public access.
One of the most noticeable attempts by Trinity to re-market itself to tourists, the only challenge now facing the College is to ensure the room is actually noticed and used by the hundreds of tourists who flock through Front Arch every day.
The stairs, currently propped up by scaffolding, will need to be permanently fixed. Speaking to The University Times by email, Adrian Neilan, Trinity’s Commercial Director, said that the stairs have been made safe for public access and “there is currently a temporary prop in place in order to strengthen the stairs and ensures safe access”.
It remains unclear why Regent House has not been in full use as a visitor centre since June or why amenities, such as coffee machines, were only installed recently. Certainly, not many tourists seem aware of the centre so far. The problems facing the much-delayed renovation and refurbishment of the room, which was used as a study space during exam season, seem to have extended into summer. With work needed on the stairs, it seems unlikely that the visitor centre project will be completely finished soon, although College gave no indication of when they hope this work will be completed.
“Estates and Facilities is working with engineers and conservation architects to develop a permanent solution”, Neilan said. It also remains unclear when the room will once again be available for use by societies. While it will host a number of conferences during the summer, and towards the end of last term was available for booking by students, College did not give a date for when students may use the room again.
Neilan said that the “room will be available for all academic and society needs in term after all upgrade works are concluded”.
“Key stakeholders will be consulted to identify the most suitable time to carry out these works”, Neilan added.
The extensive refurbishment of Regent House saw the room repainted, new stone tiles replacing the old carpet and several pieces of art installed around the room, along with a new audiovisual system, an elevator and accessible toilets. The refurbishment also included the lobby in which the staircase is housed, providing access to the room.
Several societies, such as Choral Society, Trinity Orchestra and DU Dance faced major disruption during the renovations, having to find alternative practice space. DU Dance struggled in particular, having to enter a Facebook competition in order to raise £5,000 so that they could secure a more permanent practice venue while Regent House was unavailable.
The project is part of Trinity’s Visitor Experience initiative, which will see a major update to the Book of Kells exhibition and a new visitor centre being constructed on the Berkeley Podium in the coming years. All this work comes as the College develops its commercialisation activities, expanding its sources of income and trying to attract new sponsors and philanthropic donations.
Neilan hopes that the visitor centre in Regent House will be “an inviting, comfortable space, and somewhere on campus where our visitors can linger with a coffee in beautiful surroundings”, while also learning about Trinity through information panels and a “specially commissioned film, which encourages visitors to explore the whole Campus, by introducing them to the wealth of cultural features within Trinity”.
