The UCL Bartlett School of Architecture, consistently ranked among the top architecture schools worldwide, unveiled its new central London headquarters at 22 Gordon St in Bloomsbury. The building designed by architects Hawkins/Brown was expanded to 91k SF and will provide accommodation for 1,000 staff and students.

The “deep retrofit” project retains the structural concrete frame of the existing building, making substantial interventions to preserve some memory of the old, while providing high quality, up-to-date facilities. The new facility is envisaged as a central London headquarters for the Bartlett: a dense, social and networked building at the heart of UCL’s Bloomsbury campus that will provide space for the discussion of architecture close to the point of production.

The centrepiece is a new stairway within a full-height atrium. Conceived as a social generator, the stair will provide the main circulation for the building, encouraging free movement between floors. Doors have been removed from studios, which have been opened up to encourage open/cross unit interaction and debate.

Double-height glazing at ground level and a prominent new entrance enhance the building’s setting and connection to the street, creating a public shop window for the work inside. A new gallery and access to an existing auditorium allow the school to host large public events.