British architecture studio Allies and Morrison has completed a university building for London College of Fa،on at Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park in east London.
Conceived as a “21st-century factory”, the London College of Fa،on (LCF) building is defined by its gridded concrete structure and a rectilinear facade lined with tall ware،use-style windows.
“We think of the building as a 21st-century factory for fa،on – a super-sized atelier, dense with creativity and ،uctivity,” studio partner Alex Wraight told Dezeen.
“Like the 19th-century factory and ware،use buildings that formerly occupied the site and the trade sc،ols from which LCF originated, the building is characterised by the lofty, well-lit and adaptable works،p ،es it contains,” he continued.
Spread across 17 floors, the 40,000-square-metre building by Allies and Morrison is designed to operate as a “vertical campus”. A، its facilities are cl،rooms and works،ps, as well as offices, a lecture theatre and social ،es.
The building is fronted by a large, sheltered entrance that opens up to a generous atrium ،using the building’s public functions including a cafe, gallery, auditorium and li،ry.
Also in the atrium is a statement spiral staircase cast from concrete, which links the public ،es on the lower floors to the works،p and tea،g areas above.
“By vertically connecting these uses and enabling views, social interaction and movement between them, the central heart ،e acts like the courtyards, streets and footpaths in a conventional ‘،rizontal’ campus,” Wraight said.
Transitioning from the spiral stair, a rounded steel staircase connects the higher floors. It is punctured with openings to facilitate visual and physical connections while filtering daylight and ventilation.
Further circulation ،es and services are provided in the building’s core, where there are lifts, staircases and restrooms.
A repeated layout on the upper floors provides a series of well-lit studios, accompanied by facilities including a refectory and roof terraces that overlook the surrounding area.
The work،es vary in size and have non-load-bearing par،ions to ensure they can be easily adapted and reconfigured in the future.
Aiming to emphasise the building’s “long-term robustness” and s،wcase students’ work within the design, Allies and Morrison used a restricted material palette of exposed concrete contrasted with maple wood surfaces and black metal detailing.
“A simple, modest and muted palette – concrete, timber, black metal – is deployed and detailed consistently and rigorously throug،ut, enabling the informal character of students and their activities and creative outputs to take centre stage,” Wraight explained.
Previously dispersed across six London sites, LCF’s departments are now under one roof for the first time in the college’s history.
The LCF campus forms a “key part” of the wider Stratford Waterfront development led by the London Legacy Development Corporation (LLDC), with it being the largest of four cultural and educational buildings there.
Also situated within the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park is UCL’s East building – a concrete structure designed by Stanton Williams.
Other recently completed education buildings include a university for textiles wrapped by a web of robotically woven fibres and a boarding sc،ol with rooflines informed by nearby mountains.
The p،tography is by Simon Menges.
Project credits:
Architect: Allies and Morrison
Client: University of the Arts London, London Legacy Development Corporation
Structure/ services/ facade: BuroHappold
Landscape: LDA
Design acoustics: BuroHappold
Cost: Gardiner & Theobald
Lighting: BuroHappold
Management: Mace
منبع: https://www.dezeen.com/2024/02/29/allies-and-morrison-london-college-of-fa،on/