Raymond Octagon 4th-floor classrooms reopen November 14th
At the start of the semester, we had to close access to the Raymond Octagon 4th-floor classrooms unexpectedly. Debris of asbestos-containing plaster had been found in the cavity between the roof and the ceiling of two of the classrooms as we prepared for necessary work on the roof. This work, combined with the design of the ceiling – which included openings between tiles – presented a risk of asbestos fibres being released during the work.
We have now completed the urgent roof work, cleaned the ceiling cavities and classrooms under asbestos protocols, and sealed the openings in the ceilings. We have also, as a precautionary measure, conducted air tests that have returned results under the regulatory (and McGill’s more stringent) threshold. The classrooms can now be used again safely.
Additional temporary classrooms in design
To prevent any further disruption to teaching activities as construction activities continue at the Macdonald Campus, we have been working with the Faculty of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences on the provisioning and installation of temporary mobile classrooms in the vicinity of the Raymond, Macdonald-Stewart, and Barton buildings.
There are many technical constraints to consider in such a project, including ensuring the basic infrastructure to support the spaces (electricity and heating, for example) is available. And though these trailers might not provide the same levels of convenience as regular classrooms, we hope they will provide a suitable temporary alternative where needed. We expect the mobile classrooms to be available sometime next semester.
We will be in touch again as the planning of these temporary classrooms advances.
If you have any questions, please communicate with Acting Building Director youssef.chebli [at] mcgill.ca (Youssef Chebli), who will contact us.
Denis Mondou
Associate Vice-Principal, Facilities Management and Ancillary Services