About
- Meet the Technical Team
- Recommended Kit List
- Technical Resources
- What does open, project and no access mean?
- What technical resources can CCI students access at UAL?
- Who can access CCI technical resources?
- What kit can I borrow?
- When are the technical resources open?
- Lone Working Policy
- Welcome to the CCI Wiki...
- Accessibility Statement
- CCI Stickers, a history...
- CCI Technical Treasure Hunt
- Glossary of technical terms
Meet the Technical Team
The technical team at CCI can be contacted on Slack during office hours. However, new questions should be posted in #technical
(on Slack) first rather than going directly to a specific member of staff.
If you've spoken to a staff member, you can book a tutorial online during office hours.
South London Technicians
Agnes Cameron | Lieven van Velthoven | |
she/her | he/him | |
Creative Code Specialist Technician | Creative Code Specialist Technician | |
Expertise:
|
Expertise:
|
|
Rohit Ramesh Thampy | Mayra Berrones | Alexander Devereux |
he/him | she/her | he/him |
Robotics Specialist Technician | AI & Data Science Specialist Technician | Prototyping Specialist Technician |
Expertise:
|
Expertise:
|
Expertise:
|
Central London Technicians
Ilia Pavlov | Lexin Zhou |
he/him | she/her |
AI & Data Science Specialist Technician | Nerve Lab Specialist Technician |
Expertise:
|
Technical Management
Tommie Lynch | Pete Mackenzie | Tom Webster |
he/him | he/him | he/him |
Head of Technical | South London Technical Coordinator | Central London Technical Coordinator |
Expertise:
|
Expertise:
|
Staff Schedule
Site | Mon | Tue | Wed | Thur | Fri | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Agnes | PR | 10:00 - 18:00 | 09:00 - 17:00 | 09:00 - 17:00 | ||
Lieven | GB | 11:00 – 19:00 | 11:00 – 19:00 | 11:00 – 19:00 | 11:00 – 19:00 | 11:00 – 19:00 |
Rohit | GB | 09:00 - 17:00 | 09:00 - 17:00 | 09:00 - 17:00 | 09:00 - 17:00 | 09:00 - 17:00 |
Mayra | PR/GB | 09:00 - 17:00 | 09:00 - 17:00 | 09:00 - 17:00 | 09:00 - 17:00 | 09:00 - 17:00 |
Alex | PR/GB | 09:00 - 17:00 | 09:00 - 17:00 | 09:00 - 17:00 | 09:00 - 17:00 | 09:00 - 17:00 |
Ilia | HH | 09:00 - 17:00 | 09:00 - 17:00 | 09:00 - 17:00 | 09:00 - 17:00 | 09:00 - 17:00 |
Tom W | HH | 09:00 - 17:00 | 09:00 - 17:00 | 09:00 - 17:00 | 09:00 - 17:00 | 09:00 - 17:00 |
Pete | PR/GB | 09:00 - 17:00 | 09:00 - 17:00 | 09:00 - 17:00 | 09:00 - 17:00 | 09:00 - 17:00 |
- GB = Greencoat Building
- PR = Peckham Road
- HH = High Holborn
- X = Various work locations
Recommended Kit List
New students to UAL Creative Computing Institute often ask us what equipment we recommend before they start with us:
Your own computer
Having your own computer is not a requirement for any of our courses because we operate laptop lockers at all CCI locations that can be used anywhere on that site, as well as desktop PCs in open access and technical areas.
That being said, it is more advantageous to have your own computer, as it gives you flexibility about when and where you can study. All our courses are part of a computing curriculum, so computing is our primary medium.
If accessing your laptop is financially difficult for you, you may be able to access limited funding through the hardship fund, which kicks off after the start of each year.
We have advice where you can read more about buying a new computer.
UAL Diploma in Apple Development
Students studying the UAL Diploma in Apple Development, should choose a Mac as the Apple software development tools only work on macOS.
Software
There are no specific software requirements for studying at CCI. We use free and open-source software for teaching wherever possible.
All students are provided with access to Microsoft Office 365 free of charge.
Students might occasionally use some other paid/licensed software, but this is not a requirement in most cases. Where necessary, we always provide free software on-site on our loan laptops and desktop workstations.
We occasionally use paid software: Max MSP, Ableton Live, and MadMapper. We also sometimes use Touch Designer, which has a paid upgrade for certain features, but generally, the free version is suitable.
Reliable internet connection at home
Read more about finding an internet provider.
Technical Resources
This section is about what resources you can access.
What does open, project and no access mean?
There are 3 modes of access across the technical resources:
Open Access
You can walk in and access this during the opening hours inside of UAL Term Time. You may need a safety induction. If you are unsure, please ask a technician.
Project Access
You can request access on a per person, per project basis, and subject to approval by the technicians who manage that resource, you may be able to use it.
To request access to these resources, please complete this form: cci.to/request-access
No Access
You have no access to this technical resource.
What technical resources can CCI students access at UAL?
UAL has a wide range of technical resources built to serve the learning outcomes of the courses in each college, to ensure these resources are available to the students who need it those resources are restricted to certain courses.
- Project Access – The resource may be accessed by completing this form: cci.to/request-access.
- No Access – This means this resource is no to this resource.
- Normal year 2 access – This means you should be able to continue using the same home college resources as you did in year 2.
Access to Home College Resources
Access to home college resources is at the discretion of your home college technical team, please get in touch with your college technical team if you have access problems, or contact cci.technical@arts.ac.uk for support.
Technical Resources | |||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
CCI | Camberwell | Chelsea | Wimbledon | LCC | LCF | CSM | |||
CCI PhD students | See CCI resources grid | Project Access | CCI UG and PG students | South London | Project Access | No Access | |||
Central London | No Access | ||||||||
UAL Diploma students | Camberwell | Normal year 2 access | No Access | ||||||
Chelsea | No Access | Normal year 2 access | No Access | ||||||
Wimbledon | No Access | Normal year 2 access | No Access | ||||||
LCC | No Access | Normal year 2 access | No Access | ||||||
LCF | No Access | Normal year 2 access | No Access | ||||||
CSM | No Access | Normal year 2 access |
Who can access CCI technical resources?
The following grid gives a detailed visual breakdown of which CCI technical resources are available and to who:
- Open Access – The resource can be accessed when it is open.
- Limited Open Access – Open access only to specified area/users.
- Scheduled Access – This resource is only available during the scheduled time when supported by CCW technical.
- Project Access – The resource may be accessed by completing this form: cci.to/request-access.
- No Access – This means this resource is no to this resource.
CCI Wide
CCI Wide resources are generally only available to current CCI students, staff or fellows, with the following exceptions:
- Technical Skills workshops are available to Final Year Diploma and Computational Arts students.
- Equipment loans are available to Final Year Diploma students.
- The Peckham Road Kitchen is open to Final Year Diploma students.
- The Greencoat Conservatory is open to Final Year Diploma students and UAL Incubator tenants based at Greencoat.
- Specialist equipment loans are available to other UAL PhD students per project.
- Room booking is only for staff & fellows; current students can request rooms per project.
Creative Computing Institute | Camberwell, Chelsea and Wimbledon | UAL | Public inc. alumni | ||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Current students, staff and fellows | Final year Diploma students | Computational Arts students | UAL Incubator | Camberwell PG design students | Other Camberwell students | PhD students and other staff | Other UG and PG students | ||
Room Booking | Project Access | No Access | |||||||
Technical Skills Workshops | Open Access | No Access | |||||||
Laptop Lockers | Open Access | No Access | |||||||
Equipment Loan | Open Access | No Access | Project Access | No Access | |||||
Kitchens & PCs | Open Access | South London only | No Access | Greencoat only | No Access |
Peckham Road
Peckham Road resources are open to all current students, staff, fellows and Final Year Diploma students, with the following exceptions:
- Final Year Diploma students cannot use the laser cutter or 3D printers as larger alternative resources are available in their home colleges.
- Computational Arts students are permitted access to the Physical Computing and eTextiles Labs until the end of the 24/25 academic year.
- Camberwell students may request access to CCI Peckham Road resources from their technical managers.
- The Laser Cutter is scheduled for Camberwell PG Design students on Thursday afternoons through your local technician.
- The eTextiles Lab is open to Camberwell PG Design students.
- The Physical Computing and eTextiles Labs are available to other UAL PhD students on a per project basis.
Creative Computing Institute | Camberwell, Chelsea and Wimbledon | UAL | Public inc. alumni | ||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Current students, staff and fellows | Final year Diploma students | UAL Incubator | Computational Arts students | Camberwell PG design students | Other Camberwell students | PhD students and other staff | Other UG and PG students | ||
Physical Computing Lab | Open Access | No Access | Project Access | No Access | |||||
eTextiles Lab | Open Access | No Access | Project Access | No Access | |||||
Laser Cutter | Open Access | No Access | Scheduled Access | No Access | |||||
3D Printing | Open Access | No Access |
Greencoat Building
Greencoat Building resources are open to all current students, staff, fellows and Final Year Diploma students, with the following exceptions:
- Final Year Diploma students cannot use the Prototyping Lab (akin to a 3D workshop) as larger alternative resources are available in their home colleges.
- Camberwell students may request access to CCI Peckham Road resources from their technical managers.
- The Dark Lab and Robotics Lab are available to other UAL PhD students on a per project basis.
- The resources in this building are open to UAL Incubator tenants in this building.
Creative Computing Institute | Camberwell, Chelsea and Wimbledon | UAL | Public inc. alumni | |||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Current students, staff and fellows | Final year Diploma students | UAL Incubator | Computational Arts students | Camberwell PG design students | Other Camberwell students | PhD students and other staff | Other UG and PG students | |||
Kit Room | Open Access | No Access | ||||||||
Dark Lab | Open Access | Project Access | No Access | |||||||
Robotics Lab | Open Access | Project Access | No Access | |||||||
Prototyping Lab | Open Access | No Access | Open Access | Project Access | No Access |
High Holborn
High Holborn resources are open to all current students, staff and fellows, with the following exceptions:
- Cyber Security Lab (Aporto) is only available to MSc Computer Science students.
- Nerve Lab is a staff research lab; it is available to CCI PG and PhD students per project through their Thesis or PhD supervisor.
- The AI & Computing Lab is available to other UAL PhD students per project.
Creative Computing Institute | Camberwell, Chelsea and Wimbledon | UAL | Public inc. alumni | ||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Current students, staff and fellows | Final year Diploma students | UAL Incubator | Computational Arts students | Camberwell PG design students | Other Camberwell students | PhD students and other staff | Other UG and PG students | ||
AI & Computing Lab | Open Access | No Access | Project Access | No Access | |||||
Cyber Security Lab | MSc Computer Science only | No Access | |||||||
Nerve Lab | Project Access | No Access | Project Access | No Access |
What kit can I borrow?
We continuously invest in more new equipment for students to borrow, from electronic components to projectors, robots to game controllers, and more.
Equipment Return
You are responsible for looking after and returning the equipment before you finish your course. The equipment must be returned to the correct building. We use a colour code on the labels to help everyone remember which item goes in which building.
- Red background: Peckham Road
- Green background: Greencoat Building
- Yellow background: High Holborn
- Black background: Eagle Wharf
- White background: Temporary labels
Suggestions
If you have suggestions for new products we should get, please email cci.technical@arts.ac.uk, and we'll consider it.
Catalogue
We currently operate 3 different systems/catalogues:
Laptop Lockers (ONARKEN / Lapsafe)
We offer laptop loans for use on-site only, more details are here..
Kit Room (ORB / Online Resource Booking)
All high-value equipment, such as projectors, cameras, and other electrical items, is now moving into the Kit Room at the Greencoat Building.
You can view the catalogue on ORB.
Physical Computing Components & High Holborn (Checkout)
Physical Computing and Robotics components need a bit more attention to detail, so we store these in our own custom-built system called Checkout. you can find details of what's available here.
Additionally, as there is no easy access to the Kit Room at High Holborn we provide a smaller catalogue of items through Checkout too, details of which are on the same page here.
When are the technical resources open?
During term time, our technical resources operate standard hours. However, outside term time, all resources are closed unless you have a prior arrangement with the technical team for details, view our page on what Project Access means.
Term Time Hours
During term time, if you have open access you just pop in and talk to a technician for help or to use facilities.
Term time is as defined on the UAL term time website here, with the exception that in the summer, we close after the Summer Festival, which usually means 2 weeks after the Undergraduate Term (around the start of July).
You can find details of our opening hours on the sign outside each lab or the wiki pages below:
Peckham Road
Greencoat Building
High Holborn
Lone Working Policy
Our buildings are usually staffed from 9 am to 6 pm, Monday to Friday during term time.
Outside of these times, students must follow the 3 Student Rule.
Loan Working Policy
This policy ensures you are safe when working unusual hours when fewer people are around. This is in case you are injured or someone tries to attack you.
-
You must not undertake dangerous activities.
-
You must ensure there are always at least 2 other people in the same area as you most of the time.
Being in the same area means: You can see and hear the other people most of the time, with breaks only to go to the toilet and shop for 5 minutes.
If someone leaves to work elsewhere or goes home and you are alone, or there are less than 3 people in the area, you have to move or leave the site.
Emergencies
If there is an incident, contact security staff at reception; they can provide First Aid and Security response and call emergency services.
The idea behind the 3 people is:
- Person injured or incapacitated
- Person to stay with the incapacitated person
- Person to get help.
Dangerous Activities
The following activities must not be undertaken when staff are not present:
- Working at height (Such as using a step ladder)
Welcome to the CCI Wiki...
This is where students, staff and the public can access helpful resources developed by the CCI team.
Technical Resources
South London
- Kit Room
- Physical Computing Lab
- eTextiles Lab
- Dark Lab
- Robotics Lab
- Digital Fabrication Lab
- Prototyping Lab
Central London
Frequently Asked Questions
- When are the technical resources open?
- Who can access CCI technical resources?
- What technical resources can CCI students access at UAL?
- What kit should I have before starting at CCI?
- What kit can I borrow?
- What software is available at CCI?
- How do I use ORB to book resources?
External Links
Accessibility Statement
This website is run by the Creative Computing Institute. This accessibility statement applies to this website only. Other websites and browser based systems on the arts.ac.uk domain have their own accessibility statements.
This website uses HTML 5 (HyperText Mark-up Language) and CSS (Cascading Style Sheets) to render content. We have also used other technologies including JavaScript on certain areas of the website.
We commit to ensuring this website is as accessible as possible and we want as many people as possible to be able to use it. This means that you should be able to:
- Access the website regardless of the device and browser you are using
- Zoom in up to 300% without the text spilling off the screen
- Navigate most of the website using just a keyboard
- Navigate most of the website using speech recognition software
- Listen to most of the website using a screen reader (including the most recent versions of JAWS, NVDA and VoiceOver)
We have also tried to make the website text as easy to understand as possible although we recognise we have more work to do on this.
AbilityNet has advice on making your device easier to use if you have a disability.
How accessible this website is
We know that some parts of the website are not fully accessible:
- Our PDF documents are not fully accessible to screen reader software, however they are provided as a secondary option for users to print out. Their contents is identical to that in the web page from which they are linked.
- Some external video content may be missing captions and sub-titles
- Animations on the site play automatically and loop and they do not have controls to pause or stop them altogether
- Some interactive code examples are not fully accessible to screen reader software or using just a keyboard
Feedback and contact information
If you need information on this website in an alternative, more accessible format please contact cci@arts.ac.uk. Please include details of the content you need and the required format or the service you are trying to access. We will then work with the team who own the content or the service to get you what you need.
We aim to provide you with an initial response within 2 working days and will provide clear information about how we will deal with your request.
Reporting accessibility problems with this website
We’re always looking to improve the accessibility of this website. If you find any problems not listed on this page or think we’re not meeting accessibility requirements, contact: cci@arts.ac.uk
We aim to provide you with an initial response within 2 working days and will provide clear information about how we will deal with your enquiry or complaint.
Enforcement procedure
The Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) is responsible for enforcing the Public Sector Bodies (Websites and Mobile Applications) (No. 2) Accessibility Regulations 2018 (the ‘accessibility regulations’). If you’re not happy with how we respond to your complaint, contact the Equality Advisory and Support Service (EASS).Contacting us by phone or visiting us in person
For information about contacting us by phone or to arrange a visit to our offices please visit the main CCI website or email cci@arts.ac.uk.
More information about accessing our buildings is available from AccessAble.
Preparation of this accessibility statement
This statement was prepared on 08/02/2021. It was last reviewed on 11/07/2021.
CCI Stickers, a history...
We print stickers on a regular basis. However, we rarely reprint an old design, so you can date your sticker by design.
2019
Orange Sticker
This was the original CCI sticker used mainly on the original laptops, only about 100 were printed in August 2019.
Designed by Tom Lynch.
2020
We ❤️ Creative Computing
Designed by Conor Rigby.
This sticker was printed in February 2020 just before the pandemic for the inaugural CCI launch event. We're not sure how many were printed.
2021
ASCII Sticker
Only 50 of these were ever printed. Most were used as signage in September 2021.
Designed by Conor Rigby.
Pride Sticker
There have been 3 batches of 250 stickers in May 2021, September 2021 and February 2022.
Designed by Tom Lynch.
2022
Mirror Sticker
There have been 2 batches of 250 stickers in December 2022 and January 2023.
Designed by Tom Lynch.
2023
Anaglyph Sticker
There was 1 white and 1 black batch of 250 stickers in September 2023.
Designed by Lieven van Velthoven.
Technical Skills
These stickers were the first ever technical skills stickers printed in September 2023, in a batch of 100 of each design.
Designed by Agnes Cameron.
2024
CoCo CCI
This sticker is a pastiche of a well-known brand. It was issued in February 2024, and only 50 were printed.
Designed by Pete Mackenzie.
Pink Shadow
There has been 1 batch of 250 stickers in February 2024.
Designed by Pete Mackenzie.
Wiki Stickers
These a batch of 50 of each design of these were printed in February 2024.
Designed by Agnes Cameron.
Offer Holder Day
These are a batch of 2x 100 stickers printed in April 2024 for the Offer Holder Day.
Designed by: Keya Datta and Evan Raskob
Sticker 1
Sticker 2
Summer Festival 2024
There has been 1 batch of 650 stickers in June 2024.
CCI Gold
There has been 1 batch of 750 stickers in September 2024.
Designed by Tom Lynch.
Winter Festival 2024
There has been 1 batch of 500 stickers in December 2024.
2025
Wireframe
There has been 1 batch of 1000 stickers in January 2025.
Designed by Tom Lynch.
Gamer
There has been 1 batch of 1000 stickers in March 2025.
Designed by Pete Mackenzie, re-artworked by Tom Lynch.
I booked it on ORB
There has been 1 batch of 250 stickers in March 2025.
Designed by Agnes Cameron.
Future Designs
A sneak peak of whats to come.
Extruded
Designed by Tom Lynch.
Fluorescent
Designed by Tom Lynch.
CCI Technical Treasure Hunt
For the first time in 2024, the CCI technical team have organised a treasure hunt to get to know about resources, expertise and equipment across our different campuses. To take part in the treasure hunt, grab a card from one of the opening events, from the workshop at Peckham Road, or print your own (bonus printer round!).
Visit each technician to get a different stamp -- it's also a good time to introduce yourself and ask questions about what they specialise in.
Read more about each technician here: Meet the technical team
The first 100 students to return a complete treasure hunt card to Pete will recieve a t-shirt! Anyone with 3 stamps or more will also get a sticker.
The addresses and opening hours of the different CCI buildings are available on this wiki page. Check out the Buildings, opening times and virtual tours for more info.
Not all technicians are in every day + some of us work different hours. The best place to find out when a technician will be in is this wiki page.
First time navigating CCI buildings?
Here is a map that will help you find your way between different CCI buildings.
Good luck and happy hunting!
Glossary of technical terms
This is a collaborative glossary of technical terms to help students learn the language of technology.
Any CCI staff member or student can edit this page. Please follow the format others have given.
You can also make suggestions via Slack using the Workflow tab in #technical.
Caution to editors: As this document is likely to be edited by multiple people at once, your edit might be lost by someone saving over with their edits which didn't include yours, so please work in an external text editor using Mark Down and make sure you copy and paste into the document quickly to minimise clashes.
ASCII
ASCII (short for American Standard Code for Information Interchange) is a coding system which maps characters to numbers and vice versa. The numerical values range from 0 to 127, and 33 of these are control characters (originally specified for controlling printers and display devices), leaving just 95 for printable characters.
No accented characters or emojis are included - they are covered by more complex encodings such as Unicode - and, this being an American invention, the dollar sign ("$") is present but the pound sign ("£") is not.
For more information see Wikipedia.
CSV / Comma Separated Values
Added by Tom Lynch
This is a method of encoding tabular data in a machine-readable format using an agreed ASCII character to separate data columns, usually a comma, but sometimes tabs, and new lines as rows.
Typically, the choice of ASCII character is based on whether the data is likely to have that character in a cell; for example, a cell can't have a comma if the data is encoded with commas or without using an escape character.
This data:
Name | Age |
---|---|
Tom | 36 |
Kyle | 34 |
Would be encoded like this:
Name,Age
Tom,36
Kyle,34