Key Details

Overview

The flagship project named University Square Stratford has been designed by Make Architects; a practice founded by renowned architect Ken Shuttleworth, and will be located in the heart of Stratford. The project is a unique joint venture between Birkbeck, University of London and the University of East London (UEL).

University Square Stratford is designed to be a multi-use academic building comprising 8,600m2 of floor space, orientated around a large light filled atrium of lecture, teaching and learning spaces, as well as dance studios and multipurpose spaces.

The structure is a five storey reinforced concrete frame which will incorporate a mixture of specification finishes that include: finished timber surfaces, glazing, granite and glass facades, rain screen cladding and exposed concrete ceilings, acting as part of the heating and cooling strategy.

The building which has been designed to achieve an ‘‘Outstanding' BREEAM rating incorporates sustainable features, such as: glazed curtain walling and photo voltaic panels on the facades, displacement ventilation that will provide single source heating and ventilation using the raised floors as plenums, and 700m2 of green roof areas, encouraging bio-diversity and reducing rainwater loss, which will provide water for WC flushing.

Source: volkerfitzpatrick.co.uk 2011

The building represents a unique, mutually beneficial collaboration between the two universities.

Championing an innovative and efficient way of sharing resources and encouraging the exchange of ideas, the facility serves as a model for future educational schemes and will reinforce links with Stratford's expanding Cultural Quarter. Large windows on all sides of the ground level animate the street, with the alignment of the public space extending into the building to create the cafe, reception lobby and atrium foyer. These qualities create an accessible building that has a strong relationship with the urban, cultural and public character of the area.The exterior is designed to reveal what is happening inside, with the form of the building 'pushed and pulled' to create a series of volumes that mark out the teaching, dance and performance spaces. The cladding defines the building's form and creates elevational variety; the projecting faces are clad in glossy, polished ceramic granite arranged in a vertical grid pattern, while the sides of the projecting volumes are lined with gold-coloured panels. Large pieces of fixed furniture in the interior use metal panels in the same colour, uniting the exterior and interior.

Source: Make Architects 2011