Designing for Designers The Bartlett School of UCL Leading the strategic rethink

The Bartlett, a faculty of University College summer, too cold in the winter, expensive It made sense to address the space Resolving the planning context The design of our new brick envelope Concurrently, we urged the appointment (UCL), is considered one of the to run – ensured that it was top of the list of constraints and outdated learning Previous efforts to redevelop the site respects its historic neighbours, flexing of a project champion and a design best architecture schools in the world. Its priorities when the University published its environments by rethinking the had fallen at the planning hurdle. The subtly on each of its façades. A stepped champion empowered to make unit-based style of teaching introduced by estates renewal strategy. fundamental organisation of the faculty end-of terrace site is complex and roofline and restrained colour palette quick decisions, with clear lines of Peter Cook in the 1990s broke the mould, at the same time as addressing the sensitive. Located to the north of UCL’s balances the building’s increased communication to the client’s board. With producing provocative ideas, ground Reprogramming for value building’s poor performance. campus with height and extended floorplates. This the enthusiastic support of the School’s breaking research, and first class students. Initially brought in to address this its eclectic mix of institutional buildings, conscientious homework paid off: planning Dean, we also programmed a series poor performance, Hawkins\Brown Wates House became 22 Gordon Street. it also borders terraces of stately listed permission was granted in 2014 with of fact-finding missions to comparable As success built on success, it gradually saw that doing so would miss a trick. Completed in December 2016, the building four-storey Georgian townhouses. The the planning committee applauding its schools of architecture in the UK, Europe outgrew its home – Wates House – a We demonstrated that a deep retrofit now houses the School of Architecture Grade II listed Neo-classical Friends timeless and transformative design. and the US. This revealed critical lessons, forbidding 1970s building originally represented better long-term value for UCL. alone and more than doubles the net Meeting House is directly opposite. Very but more importantly helped to build our designed to house the School of internal area, making a teaching and unusually, the site straddles the boundary Expert user mediation team, smoothing the way to a common Environmental Studies. Anonymous on research facility fit for the future. between two distinct conservation sub- The key to constructive project vision for the project. the outside, the interior was cramped - its areas. In short, it would take considerable management is good governance, small rooms, locked doors, dark corridors, skill to satisfy the local London Borough of especially in university settings where and lack of communal spaces contrasting Camden planning authority. there are powerful and sometimes starkly with the luminous quality of its conflicting interests at play. Our first academic output. The fact that the building Our response is the result of wide move was to identify the user groups – also performed poorly – too hot in the consultation, deep research into historic estate managers, academic staff and building footprints and street patterns as students – and listen to them. well as testing views and vistas.

\When we saw all the students arriving back in the first week, there were smiles on their faces\

Tom Noonan Associate Designing for long-term value Intelligent resilience

There is nothing frivolous or wasteful in the final Breaking down the walls Project: The Bartlett School Our rigorous user consultation suggested Sustain building, balancing architectural elegance with Generous glazing at street level opens of Architecture design solutions. We took advantage of The building achieved BREEAM Excellent, optimising value. Raw, hardwearing finishes the building up to the local community, a Location: Bloomsbury, London, UK the opportunity to test them in the school’s exceeding UCL’s campus-wide energy tell the tale of the building’s 1970s concrete welcoming transparency that signals its Client: University College London temporary decant home – a converted efficiency targets and transforming the origins. They will also survive intense use place as a public building. Service: Architecture, interior design warehouse on Hampstead Road. Through life-cycle cost and comfort of using the by notoriously hands-on maker students, a this consultation process we were able building. Retaining the original concrete 400 Scope: New build, retrofit tonnes of carbon suitable backdrop to pinning up work, storing Inside, breakout spaces radiate from the Value: £25m to fine-tune our designs for furniture and frame not only saved money and build- 3D models and staging exhibitions. new centrepiece staircase, providing the Status: Complete joinery and confirm that students adjusted time, it saved 400 tonnes of carbon. saved by retaining the physical and psychological room for staff their behaviour to suit the open plan original concrete frame. Resource instead was focused on mining extra and students to interact, explore, and configuration of the unit studios. Flex space from the same plot and the strategic exchange ideas. Communal spaces are deliberately reconfiguration of the layout. Extra floors, versatile. Designed-in features actively the extended floor plate and a full-height infill The unit-based style of learning lives on, encourage staff and students to extension double the usable area. Meanwhile, accommodated now in open-sided bays bend them to their will, limited only by other departments – the faculty library and to alleviate the former pressure-cooker imagination. End-of-year shows can once the School of Planning – have moved to other atmosphere. No longer stratified away again be accommodated in the school. sites, allowing the School of Architecture to from student activity, staff offices are expand into the vacated space. interspersed with the learning studios, Adapt levelling hierarchies. Walls either pivot open or are lightweight, simplifying future layout reconfigurations as teaching and learning needs develop over time.

\ It was a privilege to lead the design of this project, and even better to collaborate so closely with an engaged client to design a building where the next generation of architects are now thriving\

Euan Macdonald Partner Making the most of your site Hawkins\Brown is a modern British architectural practice with an award- winning approach to design. We put our hearts and minds into realising your project’s potential. You’ll discover creativity, commitment and a desire to collaborate to reach the best solution.

To find out more about our practice or talk to us about your project, contact:

Euan Macdonald [email protected] +44 (0)20 7336 8030

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