More teaching, studio and research space will be provided if a £30 million plan to transform a building at University College London gets the green light.
The planning applications seeks to keep the existing structure of The Bartlett School of Architecture’s Wates House but open up its façade, re-jig its entrance and provide a new staircase.
Hawkins and Brown, which is leading the project, says the design would provide stunning views of London and ensure the building blends in with the surrounding area which is in the Bloomsbury Conservation Area.
The Bartlett’s dean, Alan Penn, said society was now facing the growing challenge of how to improve structures that were only built a few decades ago.
He said a decision had been taken to “retrofit” Wates House instead of knocking it down and rebuilding the facility. He said keeping the old building would lend the design “quirkiness” and save energy that was “embodied” in the building.
Copyright Press Association 2014