New University of the Arts London Campus for Central Saint Martins at King’s Cross

Central Saint Martins is one of the world’s leading centres for art and design education. Part of University of the Arts London, the design of their new campus transformed a former Victorian railway goods yard in King’s Cross.

Following an original competition-winning scheme for a new building for Central Saint Martin’s, part of the University of the Arts London, we were asked to masterplan and design a 40,000 m2 campus for 4,000 students and 500 staff. The building forms part of the 67 acre King’s Cross development, one of Europe’s largest urban regeneration projects. The challenge involved bringing all of the creative disciplines of Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design under one roof for the first time to form the physical and creative heart of King’s Cross new vibrant mixed-use quarter.

The design combines the refurbishment of the19th century Grade II listed Granary building and transit sheds with a 200 metre long new building that uses industrial materials and creates robust spaces for the students, full of natural light. An internal street draws daylight in and acts as a central circulation spine with suspended walkways. The spaces are designed to be flexible and ‘raw’, to allow the different departments within the college to develop their own identities, whilst maintaining the integrity of the building as a whole. The new campus includes performance spaces with two theatres and dance studios, bar and ticketing area together with exhibition areas and a roof terrace. Combining robust historic architecture with bold additions, the results will fuel the regeneration of their surroundings, giving the area critical mass and a vibrant energy with a high quality, distinctive design that is highly flexible and adaptable to future needs.

Great importance has been placed on ensuring the new campus embodies best practice in sustainable design, overcoming the constraints of a listed industrial structure and ensuring the building design allows maximum scope for adaptation. This sustainable design strategy allowed us to work towards a BREEAM rating of ‘Very Good’.