When it rains on KUA, it drips down on the lawyers

The move to South Campus – or ‘KUA’ in everyday parlance – has led to debate among the Faculty of Law’s students and staff, who have been struggling to get used to the open offices with large glass windows.

The mood at the Faculty hit a new low on 4th June, when it rained into the Legal Knowledge Centre – the faculty’s library. In the students’ Facebook group, members have debated whether they are the victims of poor construction.

One of the students calls it the Faculty of Law’s own ‘Watergate scandal’.

Poor buildings with no soul

Law student Stefan Weinschenck photographed the puddles in the reading room.

“There is a significant risk that people, books or computers got wet as the windows were located over seats, stairs and shelves,” he writes in an email to the University Post, adding that he is otherwise not particularly critical of the move to South Campus.

“It’s a poor office building with no soul, but for studying it actually functions quite well, with good rooms, chairs, etc.”

Others have posted pictures of smashed floor tiles and fallen wall panels. Some use the rainwater as a reason to list the many and long criticisms of the construction, design and administration of their faculty’s new home.

Problem with the programmed computer

It is the Danish Buildings and Property Agency that, as entrepreneur, is responsible for the construction of the 48,000 square metres building, and which is responsible for daily operations.

Project manager from the agency, Søren Höffner, says that they are well aware that the rain is coming in.

“The contractor most likely made a programming error in the computer that controls the windows. They open when it rains and close when the sun is shining. But they’re on the case,” he says.

Contractor’s responsibility

Søren Höffner does not think there are more errors in the building than expected.

“This is completely normal for such a large new building,” he says.

They are also aware that some floor tiles have already been smashed, but the university cannot just change them and correct any other mistakes, says Søren Höffner.

“Contractors have a duty to correct any mistakes or deficiencies, but they must first acknowledge the mistake. They have done this, in the case of the tiles, but we have chosen to postpone the work on them for the summer vacation so we can minimize the disturbances to users,” he says.