Previously located in a quiet and mostly uneventful part of suburban south-east London, Ravensbourne College have recently opened the doors to their brand new campus in London – directly opposite the famous O2 centre (or Millennium Dome, as it was once known).
Clad with 28,000 anodized aluminium tiles and dotted with numerous round windows of seven different sizes, Ravensbourne’s new Greenwich Peninsula campus is ambitiously designed and striking to look from, having a wonderful view over the O2 centre towards central London.
Acting as a fresh start for the formerly suburban college, the interior of the campus is designed to encourage multi-disciplinary work between the art and design students housed within, with communal spaces making up a large portion of the building. The ground floor features a public atrium on the north side, whilst the southern side houses a second atrium raised above the first floor lecture theatre, exclusively for staff and students. Both spaces also act as ventilation devices, and are ideally positioned to capture the stunning views surrounding the building.
Shared space is important within the design, whether between collaborating students, access for members of the public, or the fusion of public, education and retail space on the ground floor. Environmental sustainability was also a key factor in the building’s creation. The large, blocky design has resulted in a low ratio of façade to area, keeping energy loss to a minimum and contributing towards the building’s BREEAM status.
Whether its design and functionality is enough to revolutionise education remains to be seen. However, for Ravensbourne College, this dynamic new campus in a similarly dynamic part of London will transform the studying experience for their students, and perhaps inspire a little more ambition in the design of future education projects.
Photo: mr prudence
