Project includes revitalising Charles Holden landmark into academic hub
BDP has landed the job of revitalising Senate House and turning it into the academic hub for London University and its colleges.
The commission will also involve masterplanning the wider estate and providing a strategic framework for the university’s development over the next 10-20 years.
BDP design director Chris Harding described it as a “major win” for the practice’s London studio.
The shortlist featured MJP Architects, Donald Insall Associates and Rock Townsend.
“The primary goal of the masterplan will be to unlock the innate potential of this important part of central London and create a cohesive and stimulating identity for a world-leading university, one of the oldest, largest and most diverse in the UK,” said Harding.
Senate House in Bloomsbury, designed by Charles Holden in 1926, is at the heart of what the university calls London’s “knowledge quarter”, something it is keen to capitalise on.
The site is bounded by Denys Lasdun’s Institute of Education, among other buildings and spaces of historic significance which contribute to the special character of the area, said Paul Wilkinson, director of property and facilities management at the University of London .
He said they picked BDP for its “tremendous track record in delivering successful masterplans in the university sector”.
Source
This story first appeared on Building Design.
No comments yet