Senate House SOAS - University of London

Senate House, SOAS University of London

From the very start we knew we didn’t want a big glass atrium that people didn’t use - we wanted something practical but also something architectural to compliment the old building. Mace and Rock Townsend have overcome some difficult challenges - when they started the project they found four old concrete bases where a crane once stood - but they worked together and couldn’t be happier with the outcome.

Keith Jennings - Project Manager, SOAS

Project Summary

Cost £22 Million

Service Architectural Services RIBA Stage 1-6

SOAS Student Hub

Completion July 2016

21st Century Space in a Heritage Context The project exemplifies how to breathe new life into heritage assets, working with Historic England to balance preservation with the need for adaptation, maximising the building’s capacity for change to meet the University’s requirements today and to be tolerant to future patterns of study and research.

Mark Gabbey - Partner

Above: Senate House

The Paul Webley Wing project involved the refurbishment and extension of the North Block of Charles Holden’s Senate House, a Grade II* listed building in Bloomsbury. The project consolidates a number of functions and facilities into one building and provides a major new flexible learning space for students and staff.

Establishing an appropriate design vision in the context of a Grade II* listed building and Conservation Area and delivering that vision on a busy city centre campus required effective engagement and team working. We worked closely with Mace consultancy, our project partners and Donald Insall Associates (heritage consultants) in refining the design to be deliverable despite the restricted courtyard access and sensitive heritage setting.

groups, Camden Planning Department and Historic England so that our proposals balanced the need for protecting the historical value of the building with SOAS’s ambition to provide something modern, flexible and uplifting.

A major part of the design involved the construction of a double curvature glazed atrium roof in the courtyard of the existing building. The glazed roof re-purposes a redundant external space and creates a new central student hub: a flexible and informal area for academics and students to interact, study and relax together.

The new wing provides a space which facilitates a community environment. It invites students to enhance their learning on campus; to grab a coffee or food and collaborate with fellow students after lectures have finished.

We also undertook a rigorous consultation process with the University stakeholder 2

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Original Ground Floor Plan: 1936 Concept Plan Sketch: 2013 Adjacencies Plan Concept Section Sketch Section: Existing Proposed: Excavation & New Roof Early Concept Sections Internal Concept Perspective

Design process

Finding the right solution The design of the courtyard underwent various iterations, with the final design including the removal of the equivalent of two olympic-sized swimming pools of spoil and the insertion of a double curvature glazed roof.

Above: Original crane base + construction process - 1936 Original crane base removed - 2014 Site plan including Russell Square

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Enclosing the courtyard allows SOAS the opportunity to create a free flowing space supporting a learning resource centre in-keeping with the changing requirements for student learning.

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The opportunity to remove the central ground floor elements including retaining walls, earth and original crane bases allows the new student hub to occupy the lower ground level. This approach enabled the proposed courtyard roof to be lower whilst maintaining an appropriate volume to the space. The effect of this intervention minimises the visual impact of the new roof on the existing internal building façade, a strategy welcomed as appropriately sensitive by Historic England.

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The design also maintains the sustainable ventilation strategy, using the height of the curved roof to draw air through clerestory windows when required. The double curvature roof complements the rectilinear formality of the courtyard, with its simple and elegant structure.

The project achieved BREEAM ‘Excellent’, with assistance from MACE’s in-house sustainability team.

The most significant low carbon initiative was to upgrade the electric space heating system, which had a very high CO2 output. This has been replaced with a ‘wet system’ of pipework, reducing the CO2 emissions from the building by 35% - even with the additional floor area due to the expansion of the courtyard to an atrium.

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Social learning space Informal meeting area Private work zone Lower Ground Plan Ground Plan Existing Section - 2012 Construction Section - 2014 Final Section - 2016 Malet Street Elevation Entrance and Reception Double-curvature glazed roof

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Rock Townsend’s approach has been one that celebrated the original building and worked with the limitations to draw out all the significant aspirations for the project without threatening the architectural integrity of the building.

Richard Poulson Director of Estates and Facilities, SOAS

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Architecture & Design The Old School Exton Street London SE1 8UE 020 7261 9577 studio@rocktownsend.co.uk

rocktownsend.co.uk