We know it has been a funny couple of years, and those of you who have been here before may not have experienced the building in its full potential. To our new students joining us this academic year, let us tell you all about Catalyst.
Catalyst opened back in Summer 2018 and although we’ve been functioning for 3 years now, we’re still very much a shiny, new, flagship space on campus and we’d like you to feel welcomed and at home when you visit us.
There are 4 floors of study space with a mixture of comfortable seating, group tables, individual study pods, bookable silent study spaces and group rooms with presentation technology.
Our helpdesk on the ground floor is available 8am – 8pm weekdays and 10am – 6pm at weekends. Our wonderful Helpdesk Team are on hand to provide support at the desk, via email and telephone. The team also rove around the building throughout the day so if you’re looking for a book or some IT support be sure to keep your eye out for them, they’d be glad to help.
The ground floor is our social space with lots of tables for group study and 3 large group rooms, two with presentation technology. You can book these via our Study Space Bookings page. You can also return your books on the ground floor at our easy-to-use book return (to the left of the stairs) and there are plenty of PCs available for you to use too.
A new addition to our ground floor is our Reading for Pleasure section. Here you’ll find plenty of fiction books as well as books on wellbeing and self-help. Why not grab a coffee from 53.3 degrees, pick up a novel and pull up a comfy chair?
The 1st and 2nd floors are home to our academic book stock and you can find self-issue points on both of these floors as well as the ground floor. Quiet study is encouraged on these floors and there are plenty of nice spots to set up for a few hours study with some great views over campus.
The 3rd floor is the gem of Catalyst and provides panoramic views over the whole of campus with its floor-to-ceiling windows. The atmosphere is light and airy with plenty of greenery from the (artificial) plants indoors and our attractive roof garden which wraps around the floor. Unfortunately, our roof garden is out of action at the moment whilst we wait for some essential maintenance works to take place, but you can still appreciate the greenery from inside.
This floor is dedicated to silent study, and you have the option to book a PC study space ahead of time (perfect if you’ve found your favourite spot and want to secure it for a few hours). This floor is also home to The Loft, a dedicated space for Post-Graduate Researchers.
We’re looking forward to welcoming you in soon!