With a complex campus in central London, UCL is constantly looking for opportunities to improve facilities for its students. In this case we combined three disparate adjacent buildings, one of which was Grade II listed, to provide new student union facilities.
We started by looking closely at each of the buildings and the spaces between them to establish how best they could be brought together. The idea of ‘found spaces’ quickly developed, where elements of the existing buildings are retained and combined with new interventions. The previous laboratory has been modified and extended to form a new social circulation hub alongside a new basement venue, bar, café, rehearsal rooms, dance studio, media suites, as well as offices and meeting rooms. The finished article has a raw, industrial feel. Exposed brickwork, original structural details and surface mounted services, together with new glazing and interior fit out, create a truly modern, informal space that students can relate to and enjoy.
Rationalising the university’s estate to find new space for students.