Across Britain, Dorms and Lecture Halls Are Deemed ‘Unfit for Purpose’

Dozens of university dormitories and lecture halls across Britain are in a serious state of disrepair, with at least 10 percent of the buildings at the vast majority of institutions in England deemed less than “sound and operationally safe,” according to a government list obtained by The Guardian. Some of Britain’s best-regarded institutions are among those faring worst in the list, which was compiled two years ago. For example, despite headline-grabbing projects like the $40-million upgrading of the main library building at the London School of Economics in 2001, 41 percent of that institution’s lecture halls and classrooms were judged “unfit for purpose,” the newspaper reported.