Client:
Queen Mary University of London
Size:
16,000m² (Project 1: 1,300m²; Project 2: 3,200m²)
Value:
£86m (Project 1: £9.8m; Project 2: £13.1m)
Awards:
BD Architect of the Year 2018: Shortlisted in the Education category
Status:
Project 1: completed April 2016; Project 2: RIBA Stage 4
Situated on Mile End Road in the East End, Queen Mary University of London is home to a state-of the-art teaching and research facility refurbished by rhp for both the Schools of Engineering & Material Science (SEMS) and Electrical Engineering & Computer Science (EECS).
Since the 1950s the faculty has been accommodated within the Engineering Building complex, which is laid out in two blocks each over five floors, linked by a three storey bridge over Bancroft Road. The original steel framed buildings fronting Mile End Road were extended north in the 60s using a concrete framed construction. Piecemeal improvements and upgrading had been carried out over six decades and both the building envelope and infrastructure had reached the end of their serviceable life.
Our design addresses the client requirements for a welcoming, open, bright, inspirational, functional and flexible environment. We improved the building fabric and services where necessary, in support of the University’s long term aspiration to achieve an overall reduction of 40% in carbon emissions.
For the first phase of works (Project 1) we de-cluttered, upgraded and re-roofed a two storey covered courtyard space to create a specialist teaching environment for 72 undergraduate students, surrounded by new specialist Material Science research laboratory facilities. Building on the success of Project 1 the second phase of works includes the design of a Creative Engineering Hub and Robotics Suite, together with a number of additional core facilities. The project has been partly funded by a HEFCE grant.