User:Alexanderclement/sandbox

A building at Leicester University, Leicester, England designed by Denys Lasdun and completed in 1966, named after the former Vice Chancellor of the university, Sir Charles Wilson (1909-2002). Its function was for food and recreation provided by cafes, restaurants and common rooms set out on ten floors, the spaces arranged around a central service core. Built using both in-situ and pre-cast concrete the structure can be regarded as Brutalist in style and stands 37 meters (121 feet) tall. History The commission to design the building was won by Denys Lasdun in 1961 and was originally conceived with six floors although additional funding allowed for a further four storeys which were added to the project. The site accommodated a lower ground floor food preparation area with its own service access, providing 2,750 lunches a day for students and staff, delivered to the restaurants and cafes by four lifts in the central service core. In the original design the first three floors were for students with the fourth operating as an a-la-carte restaurant with waitress service and the fifth floor as a senior common room. Above this level the building forms a narrower tower with the additional four floors, each containing common rooms with the tenth top-lit and intended for exhibitions and music recitals.

Pre-cast elements included the columns, floor beams and staircase chambers which were supplied by a local contractor, delivered by crane and hoisted into position while the central service core was constructed using in-situ concrete. The window frames were designed to be fitted internally which meant that the whole building could be completed without the need for scaffolding.