Behind the Scenes | UCL East Marshgate

Marshgate, designed by Stanton Williams within a masterplan by LDA, is the main academic building in University College London’s new campus in East London. Currently a stand-alone building, adjacent to the disparate sculptural forms of Anish Kapoor’s ArcelorMittal Orbit, Populous’ former Olympic Stadium / West Ham stadium and opposite Zaha Hadid’s London Aquatic Centre, Marshgate has been designed to create a new urban setting conducive to academic research as well as new public spaces which encourage engagement with local residents and visitors.

Gavin started outside by producing a jewel-like solid timber model from his bag to explain how the design fitted within the volumetric constraints of the LDA masterplan which we enjoyed passing round as we listened to his account of the development of the project.

The biggest challenge came from the open-ended nature of brief itself which required future-proofing the design for new research programmes which do not yet exist. This is not a traditional university building, and the users are interdisciplinary (from creative industries to engineering, robotics, green technologies, and global health) and not tied to a specific faculty. So spaces, rooms and laboratories have high technical specifications but require ultimate flexibility – a library without books, multi-purpose seminar rooms and the only lecture theatre was a late addition to the brief. However, this is a solid construction – built to last – with admirable detailing of in-situ concrete panels, polished concrete floors, and finely perforated timber acoustic panelling.

The selection of materials reflects the different uses and responds to demands of low maintenance and durability. Environmental efficiency was integral to the design which achieves BREEAM standards whilst optimizing natural ventilation where possible, augmented by mechanical ventilation for the high specification laboratories and rooms at higher levels.

The interaction between public and private has been carefully articulated with public functions on the lower levels and student, academic and research spaces concentrated on the upper floors. Organised around a central daylit atrium space, this is a spatially complex design which remains simple to navigate around. Easier said than done. We took the escalators up and walked round the balcony access to visit open plan offices, seminar rooms, library, cafeteria and break out areas including private study cubicles and desks. Taking the stairs to the upper floors, we passed highly specialised laboratories and workshops (too secret or dangerous to visit) and enjoyed the spectacular views back towards Canary Wharf and the City from the social areas at the top of the building. There are numerous pleasant informal meeting spaces on intermediate floors to encourage spontaneous interaction between researchers and substantial art works including Luke Jerram’s Gaia suspended from the rooflight.

Many of us wished we could work in such a building – indeed we were accompanied by a member of UCL staff who obviously loves it – but many of us were, I suspect, also envious of having such a client and project. The variety of spaces, the play of natural light and the quality of the acoustic environment is clearly the work of masterful collaboration between client and design team who have not succumbed to the imperatives of short-sighted budgets or value engineering.

Thanks to Stanton Williams and UCL for enabling our visit – congratulations to Gavin and the team for creating an impressive new piece of city.