{"id":181716,"date":"2025-10-01T06:00:43","date_gmt":"2025-10-01T04:00:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/paa-frederiksberg-lider-ansatte-under-stort-kaotisk-renoveringsprojekt\/"},"modified":"2025-10-01T08:20:32","modified_gmt":"2025-10-01T06:20:32","slug":"staff-trapped-in-renovation-chaos-on-frederiksberg-campus","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/en\/staff-trapped-in-renovation-chaos-on-frederiksberg-campus\/","title":{"rendered":"Staff trapped in renovation chaos on Frederiksberg campus"},"content":{"rendered":"

It\u2019s been a hot couple of months for staff at the Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences (PLEN) on Frederiksberg Campus \u2014 at least for those housed in the brutalist building that is simply referred to as H\u00f8jhuset<\/em>, or the Tower Block.<\/p>\n

Parts of the building at the University of Copenhagen (UCPH) have been wrapped in thick plastic throughout the summer. Now two-thirds of the structure is sealed off.<\/p>\n

The fa\u00e7ade is being renovated, and when tests revealed the presence of the toxic chemical PCB in the concrete, the area had to be sealed off during drilling, explains Augusta Szameitat, health and safety representative at PLEN.<\/p>\n

\u00bbIt was initially decided that an area ten metres from the drilling sites should be sealed off, so that staff would not be exposed to toxic dust. But this decision wasn\u2019t followed. They drilled without plastic sheeting on the floors above and below, and they put plastic up in places where no drilling was taking place. In the end, they just sealed off everything,\u00ab she says.<\/p>\n

Now, four out of the six sections of the six-story building are completely wrapped in plastic \u2014 and it\u2019s causing big problems for staff.<\/p>\n

\u00bbThe noise is intense, and we get no information about when it will happen. It makes it impossible to plan work, meetings, even oral exams. Many are forced to move from one office to another to escape the noise,\u00ab says Augusta Szameitat.<\/p>\n

\u00bbThere is no ventilation in the offices, and we can\u2019t open the windows or doors. People are complaining about headaches, fatigue, and low energy. It\u2019s simply draining and demotivating to be here, because the indoor climate and natural light are so badly affected by the plastic coverings.\u00ab<\/p>\n

Nicotine-yellow plastic<\/h3>\n

Staff representative Niels Agerbirk says the poor air quality and lack of light due to the plastic sheeting is a major concern among staff.<\/p>\n

\u00bbEvery time you enter an office, people roll their eyes. We can\u2019t open the windows, and it\u2019s dark inside because the daylight has to filter through nicotine-yellow plastic.\u00ab<\/p>\n

He stresses that he understands the need for drilling, and appreciates the effort to protect staff through shielding. What he criticises is the lack of communication.<\/p>\n

I don\u2019t understand why they\u2019re working on the whole building at once instead of completing one section at a time<\/p>\n

Staff representative Niels Agerbirk<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

\u00bbWe haven\u2019t been told when the plastic will be taken down again. I don\u2019t understand why they\u2019re working on the whole building at once instead of completing one section at a time. As it is now, the entire building is sealed off.\u00ab<\/p>\n

Augusta Szameitat agrees with the criticism:<\/p>\n

\u00bbIt\u2019s a huge problem that we\u2019re not informed when drilling will happen, or when the renovation will end and the plastic is taken down. We get no information,\u00ab she says.<\/p>\n

The construction noise makes it difficult for staff to work in the building.<\/p>\n

\u00bbIt\u2019s impossible to plan meetings or get work done, and many are forced to move around between offices to escape the noise. If you’re in an office where they\u2019re drilling right outside, you can\u2019t hear what people are saying. It\u2019s so loud you can\u2019t even have a conversation,\u00ab she says.<\/p>\n

Couldn\u2019t doing more remote work solve the problem?<\/em><\/p>\n

\u00bbSome people can work from home, but not everyone. We have lots of meetings and a lot of lab work. And the policy on remote work is still that it should be limited as much as possible and subject to agreement with immediate supervisors. My impression is that those who asked to work from home were allowed to. Perhaps management could have extended the permission for remote work, but that wouldn\u2019t solve the problem that most of my colleagues work in laboratories and need to be physically present,\u00ab she says.<\/p>\n

Critical lab measurements<\/h3>\n

Health and safety representative Augusta Szameitat says the renovation also affects the research work being carried out in the building. In the labs, staff work with expensive equipment that is affected by the vibrations from drilling, which can ruin measurements.<\/p>\n

\u00bbWhen we don\u2019t know when drilling will take place, we risk losing readings. A few times we\u2019ve had to ask the workers to wait before drilling so we could finish a measurement,\u00ab she says.<\/p>\n

When we don\u2019t know when drilling will take place, we risk losing readings<\/p>\n

Augusta Szameitat, health and safety representative at PLEN<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Augusta Szameitat emphasises that both local management and campus services have tried to find solutions, but that communication with those who are responsible higher-up at UCPH has been very difficult.<\/p>\n

\u00bbWe have no idea who to contact. I think it\u2019s unacceptable that we\u2019re not informed about when the noise will occur, because it makes it impossible for us to plan our work. I wish local management and the health and safety organisation were consulted before, and during, renovation projects like this where the air quality deteriorates significantly and the noise disturbance is so intense,\u00ab she says.<\/p>\n

She has contacted management and requested a timeline for when the work will be completed, and also suggested that the workers finish one side of the building at a time to avoid having everything sealed off all at once.<\/p>\n

UCPH building unit: This is why we did it<\/h3>\n

Bjarne Ernst Hellmann is special consultant at the UCPH planning and building unit and is responsible for the concrete renovation at Frederiksberg Campus. He says he understands the frustration over the noise and the lack of light and fresh air. But he stresses that the plastic sheeting was necessary to protect staff from PCB, which has been found in all the joints between the concrete elements.<\/p>\n

\u00bbI completely understand that it\u2019s unpleasant to have noise right around you while you\u2019re trying to work. In connection with the PCB joint work, we covered the fa\u00e7ades with plastic to prevent the substance from spreading indoors.\u00ab<\/p>\n

Why weren\u2019t staff informed about where and when drilling and sealing would take place, so they could plan accordingly?<\/em><\/p>\n

\u00bbI can\u2019t deny that we could have communicated better. We\u2019ve sent out three user information notices about the project and the timelines, but it\u2019s been difficult to say exactly when the drilling would happen.\u00ab<\/p>\n

I can see now that it might have been done differently<\/p>\n

Special consultant Bjarne Ernst Hellmann, UCPH planning and building unit<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

When the building is sealed on all sides, it\u2019s impossible for staff to let in fresh air and improve the indoor climate. Why not do one section at a time instead of wrapping the whole building?<\/em><\/p>\n

\u00bbIn the early phase, it was necessary to lift elements over the building\u2019s roof with a large crane, and that\u2019s why we had to work on both sides at once. Setting up, and taking down, scaffolding and plastic costs about half a million kroner, so we chose to cover the whole building and keep it like that. I can see now that it might have been done differently.\u00ab<\/p>\n

Did you consult with the local health and safety representatives?<\/em><\/p>\n

\u00bbNo. We involved the university\u2019s central health and safety team and our regular consultant Dansk Milj\u00f8analyse<\/em> to conduct hazard assessments. We believed this was sufficient, but maybe we should have included local staff as well.\u00ab<\/p>\n

The light will soon shine in again<\/h3>\n

When can staff expect the plastic coverings to come down?<\/em><\/p>\n

\u00bbIt\u2019s being removed gradually. In the two weeks following 22 September, the scaffolding and plastic on the first fa\u00e7ade of building 71 will come down. Based on user feedback, we\u2019re considering whether to change the process so we can work faster and avoid having the whole building sealed off for the remainder of the project. But it\u2019s a budget issue, so I can\u2019t make that decision on my own.\u00ab<\/p>\n

Staff report headaches, fatigue and poor air quality. What have you done to prevent this?<\/em><\/p>\n

\u00bbUnfortunately, we haven\u2019t been able to do much. It turned out that the office spaces on one side of the building have no ventilation, and that\u2019s a challenge we haven\u2019t been able to solve.\u00ab<\/p>\n

Several staff members say they don\u2019t know who to contact. Why isn\u2019t there a contact person?<\/em><\/p>\n

\u00bbIn the user information we\u2019ve sent to everyone in the two buildings, both the helpdesk and my name are listed. But perhaps not everyone has read the information.\u00ab<\/p>\n

The health and safety representative calls the communication unacceptable \u2014 what\u2019s your response to that?<\/em><\/p>\n

\u00bbIf that\u2019s how she feels, then I can only apologise. I don\u2019t think it\u2019s been completely off the mark, but I can see that it hasn\u2019t been sufficient.\u00ab<\/p>\n

What can staff expect now?<\/em><\/p>\n

\u00bbWe have a plan. In one to two weeks time, we\u2019ll begin to take down the plastic on building 71. We\u2019re also considering limiting the plastic sheeting to one side at a time in future, but it depends on the financial framework.\u00ab<\/p>\n

This article was first written in Danish and published on 23 September. It has been translated into English and post-edited by Mike Young.<\/em>
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The Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences on Frederiksberg Campus is wrapped in thick plastic, leading to noise and headaches for staff. Health and safety reps criticise the working conditions, air quality, and poor communication. 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13:29:46","menu_order":0,"mime_type":"image\/png","type":"image","subtype":"png","icon":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/wp-includes\/images\/media\/default.png","width":2500,"height":1768,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/designudennavn-1-150x150.png","thumbnail-width":150,"thumbnail-height":150,"medium":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/designudennavn-1-480x339.png","medium-width":480,"medium-height":339,"medium_large":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/designudennavn-1-768x543.png","medium_large-width":768,"medium_large-height":543,"large":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/designudennavn-1-1280x905.png","large-width":1280,"large-height":905,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/designudennavn-1-1536x1086.png","1536x1536-width":1536,"1536x1536-height":1086,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/designudennavn-1-2048x1448.png","2048x2048-width":2048,"2048x2048-height":1448,"featured-soft":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/designudennavn-1-290x205.png","featured-soft-width":290,"featured-soft-height":205,"featured-hard":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/designudennavn-1-290x180.png","featured-hard-width":290,"featured-hard-height":180,"narrow":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/designudennavn-1-700x495.png","narrow-width":700,"narrow-height":495,"extended":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/designudennavn-1-990x700.png","extended-width":990,"extended-height":700}},"style":"extended","text_placement":"metadata-below","image_link_url":"","image_link_title":"","caption_prefix":"","enable_alternative_caption":false,"alternative_caption":""},{"acf_fc_layout":"Standfirst","subject":"Building-site mayhem","text":"Medarbejdere p\u00e5 Plante- og Milj\u00f8videnskab p\u00e5 Frederiksberg Campus arbejder bag plastikafd\u00e6kninger, uden frisk luft og under konstant st\u00f8j. Tillidsrepr\u00e6sentant og arbejdsmilj\u00f8repr\u00e6sentant kritiserer b\u00e5de arbejdsvilk\u00e5r og manglende information. KU svarer p\u00e5 kritikken.","use_post_excerpt":true},{"acf_fc_layout":"Byline","is_author":true,"contributors":false},{"acf_fc_layout":"Content","content":"<p>It\u2019s been a hot couple of months for staff at the Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences (PLEN) on Frederiksberg Campus \u2014 at least for those housed in the brutalist building that is simply referred to as <em>H\u00f8jhuset<\/em>, or the Tower Block.<\/p>\n<p>Parts of the building at the University of Copenhagen (UCPH) have been wrapped in thick plastic throughout the summer. Now two-thirds of the structure is sealed off.<\/p>\n<p>The fa\u00e7ade is being renovated, and when tests revealed the presence of the toxic chemical PCB in the concrete, the area had to be sealed off during drilling, explains Augusta Szameitat, health and safety representative at PLEN.<\/p>\n<p>\u00bbIt was initially decided that an area ten metres from the drilling sites should be sealed off, so that staff would not be exposed to toxic dust. But this decision wasn\u2019t followed. They drilled without plastic sheeting on the floors above and below, and they put plastic up in places where no drilling was taking place. In the end, they just sealed off everything,\u00ab she says.<\/p>\n<p>Now, four out of the six sections of the six-story building are completely wrapped in plastic \u2014 and it\u2019s causing big problems for staff.<\/p>\n<p>\u00bbThe noise is intense, and we get no information about when it will happen. It makes it impossible to plan work, meetings, even oral exams. Many are forced to move from one office to another to escape the noise,\u00ab says Augusta Szameitat.<\/p>\n<p>\u00bbThere is no ventilation in the offices, and we can\u2019t open the windows or doors. People are complaining about headaches, fatigue, and low energy. It\u2019s simply draining and demotivating to be here, because the indoor climate and natural light are so badly affected by the plastic coverings.\u00ab<\/p>\n<h3>Nicotine-yellow plastic<\/h3>\n<p>Staff representative Niels Agerbirk says the poor air quality and lack of light due to the plastic sheeting is a major concern among staff.<\/p>\n<p>\u00bbEvery time you enter an office, people roll their eyes. We can\u2019t open the windows, and it\u2019s dark inside because the daylight has to filter through nicotine-yellow plastic.\u00ab<\/p>\n<p>He stresses that he understands the need for drilling, and appreciates the effort to protect staff through shielding. What he criticises is the lack of communication.<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>I don\u2019t understand why they\u2019re working on the whole building at once instead of completing one section at a time<\/p>\n<p class=\"quotee\">Staff representative Niels Agerbirk<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>\u00bbWe haven\u2019t been told when the plastic will be taken down again. I don\u2019t understand why they\u2019re working on the whole building at once instead of completing one section at a time. As it is now, the entire building is sealed off.\u00ab<\/p>\n<p>Augusta Szameitat agrees with the criticism:<\/p>\n<p>\u00bbIt\u2019s a huge problem that we\u2019re not informed when drilling will happen, or when the renovation will end and the plastic is taken down. We get no information,\u00ab she says.<\/p>\n<p>The construction noise makes it difficult for staff to work in the building.<\/p>\n<p>\u00bbIt\u2019s impossible to plan meetings or get work done, and many are forced to move around between offices to escape the noise. If you’re in an office where they\u2019re drilling right outside, you can\u2019t hear what people are saying. It\u2019s so loud you can\u2019t even have a conversation,\u00ab she says.<\/p>\n<p><em>Couldn\u2019t doing more remote work solve the problem?<\/em><\/p>\n<p>\u00bbSome people can work from home, but not everyone. We have lots of meetings and a lot of lab work. And the policy on remote work is still that it should be limited as much as possible and subject to agreement with immediate supervisors. My impression is that those who asked to work from home were allowed to. Perhaps management could have extended the permission for remote work, but that wouldn\u2019t solve the problem that most of my colleagues work in laboratories and need to be physically present,\u00ab she says.<\/p>\n<h3>Critical lab measurements<\/h3>\n<p>Health and safety representative Augusta Szameitat says the renovation also affects the research work being carried out in the building. In the labs, staff work with expensive equipment that is affected by the vibrations from drilling, which can ruin measurements.<\/p>\n<p>\u00bbWhen we don\u2019t know when drilling will take place, we risk losing readings. A few times we\u2019ve had to ask the workers to wait before drilling so we could finish a measurement,\u00ab she says.<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>When we don\u2019t know when drilling will take place, we risk losing readings<\/p>\n<p class=\"quotee\">Augusta Szameitat, health and safety representative at PLEN<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>Augusta Szameitat emphasises that both local management and campus services have tried to find solutions, but that communication with those who are responsible higher-up at UCPH has been very difficult.<\/p>\n<p>\u00bbWe have no idea who to contact. I think it\u2019s unacceptable that we\u2019re not informed about when the noise will occur, because it makes it impossible for us to plan our work. I wish local management and the health and safety organisation were consulted before, and during, renovation projects like this where the air quality deteriorates significantly and the noise disturbance is so intense,\u00ab she says.<\/p>\n<p>She has contacted management and requested a timeline for when the work will be completed, and also suggested that the workers finish one side of the building at a time to avoid having everything sealed off all at once.<\/p>\n<h3>UCPH building unit: This is why we did it<\/h3>\n<p>Bjarne Ernst Hellmann is special consultant at the UCPH planning and building unit and is responsible for the concrete renovation at Frederiksberg Campus. He says he understands the frustration over the noise and the lack of light and fresh air. But he stresses that the plastic sheeting was necessary to protect staff from PCB, which has been found in all the joints between the concrete elements.<\/p>\n<p>\u00bbI completely understand that it\u2019s unpleasant to have noise right around you while you\u2019re trying to work. In connection with the PCB joint work, we covered the fa\u00e7ades with plastic to prevent the substance from spreading indoors.\u00ab<\/p>\n<p><em>Why weren\u2019t staff informed about where and when drilling and sealing would take place, so they could plan accordingly?<\/em><\/p>\n<p>\u00bbI can\u2019t deny that we could have communicated better. We\u2019ve sent out three user information notices about the project and the timelines, but it\u2019s been difficult to say exactly when the drilling would happen.\u00ab<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>I can see now that it might have been done differently<\/p>\n<p class=\"quotee\">Special consultant Bjarne Ernst Hellmann, UCPH planning and building unit<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><em>When the building is sealed on all sides, it\u2019s impossible for staff to let in fresh air and improve the indoor climate. Why not do one section at a time instead of wrapping the whole building?<\/em><\/p>\n<p>\u00bbIn the early phase, it was necessary to lift elements over the building\u2019s roof with a large crane, and that\u2019s why we had to work on both sides at once. Setting up, and taking down, scaffolding and plastic costs about half a million kroner, so we chose to cover the whole building and keep it like that. I can see now that it might have been done differently.\u00ab<\/p>\n<p><em>Did you consult with the local health and safety representatives?<\/em><\/p>\n<p>\u00bbNo. We involved the university\u2019s central health and safety team and our regular consultant <em>Dansk Milj\u00f8analyse<\/em> to conduct hazard assessments. We believed this was sufficient, but maybe we should have included local staff as well.\u00ab<\/p>\n<h3>The light will soon shine in again<\/h3>\n<p><em>When can staff expect the plastic coverings to come down?<\/em><\/p>\n<p>\u00bbIt\u2019s being removed gradually. In the two weeks following 22 September, the scaffolding and plastic on the first fa\u00e7ade of building 71 will come down. Based on user feedback, we\u2019re considering whether to change the process so we can work faster and avoid having the whole building sealed off for the remainder of the project. But it\u2019s a budget issue, so I can\u2019t make that decision on my own.\u00ab<\/p>\n<p><em>Staff report headaches, fatigue and poor air quality. What have you done to prevent this?<\/em><\/p>\n<p>\u00bbUnfortunately, we haven\u2019t been able to do much. It turned out that the office spaces on one side of the building have no ventilation, and that\u2019s a challenge we haven\u2019t been able to solve.\u00ab<\/p>\n<p><em>Several staff members say they don\u2019t know who to contact. Why isn\u2019t there a contact person?<\/em><\/p>\n<p>\u00bbIn the user information we\u2019ve sent to everyone in the two buildings, both the helpdesk and my name are listed. But perhaps not everyone has read the information.\u00ab<\/p>\n<p><em>The health and safety representative calls the communication unacceptable \u2014 what\u2019s your response to that?<\/em><\/p>\n<p>\u00bbIf that\u2019s how she feels, then I can only apologise. I don\u2019t think it\u2019s been completely off the mark, but I can see that it hasn\u2019t been sufficient.\u00ab<\/p>\n<p><em>What can staff expect now?<\/em><\/p>\n<p>\u00bbWe have a plan. In one to two weeks time, we\u2019ll begin to take down the plastic on building 71. We\u2019re also considering limiting the plastic sheeting to one side at a time in future, but it depends on the financial framework.\u00ab<\/p>\n<p><em>This article was first written in Danish and published on 23 September. It has been translated into English and post-edited by Mike Young.<\/em><\/p>\n"},{"acf_fc_layout":"ArticleEnd"},{"acf_fc_layout":"Newsletter","lang_select":"en","identifier":"Newsletter","headline":"Get an email with upcoming events and top University of Copenhagen stories","button_text":"Sign up here","class":""},{"acf_fc_layout":"OtherStories","headline":"","hand_picked_posts":false,"references":false,"category":false,"theme":false,"number_of_posts":"4","style":"default"}]},"taxonomyData":{"category":[{"term_id":4539,"name":"Working environment","slug":"arbejdsmiljoe-en","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":4539,"taxonomy":"category","description":"","parent":0,"count":95,"filter":"raw"}],"post_tag":[],"post_format":[],"expression":[{"term_id":15,"name":"News Article","slug":"news_article","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":15,"taxonomy":"expression","description":"","parent":0,"count":11487,"filter":"raw"}],"translation_priority":[{"term_id":5468,"name":"Optional","slug":"optional-en","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":5468,"taxonomy":"translation_priority","description":"","parent":0,"count":672,"filter":"raw"}]},"featured_media_url":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/designudennavn-1-1280x905.png","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/181716","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/109"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=181716"}],"version-history":[{"count":12,"href":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/181716\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":181883,"href":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/181716\/revisions\/181883"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/181474"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=181716"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=181716"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=181716"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}