Herzog & De Meuron designs Royal College of Art's innovative London campus

The Royal College of Art (RCA), the world's leading university of art and design, has unveiled its new campus in Battersea, London. The development, designed by internationally acclaimed architects Herzog & de Meuron, represents a critical point in the RCA's transformation into a dynamic, STEAM-focused postgraduate university.

The expansion will allow the RCA to expand into computer and materials science, robotics, advanced manufacturing, complex visualization and data science, and intelligent mobility, enabling its students to tackle some of the most pressing challenges of our times. This is an important shift for the RCA, which has traditionally focused on fine arts and design.

The new campus boasts a range of state-of-the-art facilities designed to foster collaboration and creative transfer between students and faculty. These include four stories of studios and workshops for sculpture, contemporary art practice, moving images, and the School of Design. These studios are designed as both social and educational spaces and can accommodate temporary exhibitions and large-scale works.

The Hangar is a double-height, 350 sqm multifunctional activity space at the heart of the campus, with vast doors at each end that enable the installation of heavy, large, or complex works of art. This space will be an essential venue for exhibitions, performances, and other events.

The Robotics Hangar is a smaller hangar and gallery space providing research testing and assembly areas for intelligent mobility, design engineering, sculpture, and robotics, with aerial and aquatic robotics. This space will allow students to explore cutting-edge technologies and work on innovative projects.

The Rausing Research & Innovation Building is an eight-floor dedicated research space for areas such as materials science, soft robotics, advanced manufacturing, intelligent mobility, and AR and VR visualization. The building also houses the Snap Visualization Lab, which provides students and faculty with access to advanced visualization technologies.

The Helen Hamlyn Centre for Design is a new purpose-built home for the Helen Hamlyn Centre for Design, which undertakes design research and projects with industry that contribute to improving people's lives. The Design Age Institute now adjoins the Centre.

InnovationRCA is housed in the Clore Innovation Centre and is the RCA's centre for enterprise, entrepreneurship, incubation, and business support. This space will allow students and faculty to explore entrepreneurship and develop innovative new products and services.

The new development will also ensure that the RCA continues to reach out towards its local community. Public walkways intersect the site, referencing the original Victorian street grid of this quarter of London. The RCA's close neighbours include the headquarters of fashion designer Vivienne Westwood and architects Foster & Partners.

The interior fit-out of the new campus celebrates the iconic designs of RCA alumni and staff, bringing together furniture and fittings selected for their approach to sustainable manufacturing and energy efficiency, concepts which are central to the new development. The building has been certified as BREEAM excellent following a £3 million investment, using a combination of integrated design and most significantly a commitment to low and zero-carbon technologies.

In conclusion, the RCA's new campus represents a significant step forward for the university as it seeks to expand its focus to encompass STEAM disciplines. The new facilities are designed to foster collaboration and creative transfer between students and faculty and provide students with access to cutting-edge technologies and research. The development also highlights the RCA's commitment to sustainability and energy efficiency, with the building receiving a BREEAM excellent rating.

 

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Photos ©Iwan Baan Photography