On June 7, the BISC Board of Trustees agreed to proceed with a major capital project — the refurbishment of the old Physics Block building next to The David Smith Residence. The space, which has been empty since Queen’s acquired the Herstmonceux Estate, will be repurposed into a new teaching lab and innovation design space on the Castle campus.
The Castle has been running a Science stream since 2016 and the program has been very successful in attracting new students and diversifying the course offering. Currently, students in the Biology and Chemistry streams use the laboratory facilities at nearby Battle Abbey School. This new dedicated lab space will not only become a new home for them, but also expand the Castle’s course offerings further by supporting the work our faculty are doing in onsite archaeology and conservation research. The new lab will also afford the BISC the opportunity to offer a whole new range of Physics and material science-based courses.
Preliminary architect’s plans are in place, with the goal of having the new lab ready for students by Fall 2019. We expect to be able to offer an exclusive tour of the facility to alumni and guests attending the BISC’s 25th Anniversary celebrations at the end of June 2019, prior to its official unveiling.