Architects to design two projects on university鈥檚 拢270m Stratford campus

UCL has appointed Stanton Williams and Lifschutz Davidson Sandilands to design its 拢270 million Stratford campus.

The two architects were picked from a pair of strong shortlists featuring the likes of Feilden Clegg Bradley, Hawkins Brown and MVRDV.

Stirling Prize-winning Stanton Williams - which last week won the job of designing the Museum of London at Smithfield - will lead the team designing Marshgate, a 33,500sq m academic facility, to be built just south of the Orbit.

And Lifschutz Davidson Sandilands will lead the design team for Pool Street, a 16,500sq m mixed-use facility comprising university residential and academic space, located south of Zaha Hadid鈥檚 Aquatics Centre.

The two projects form UCL East and are part of the wider Olympicopolis project on the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park.

The neighbouring Stratford Waterfront project for Sadler鈥檚 Wells, the London College of Fashion and V&A East is being designed by Allies & Morrison, O鈥橠onnell & Tuomey and YAYA winner Arquitecturia.

A joint planning application for UCL East and Stratford Waterfront is likely to be submitted at the end of this year.

Gavin Henderson, director at Stanton Williams, said: 鈥淭his is a unique opportunity to create a distinctive place: a new kind of university quarter that captures the excitement and vitality that draws people to live, work and study in contemporary London.

鈥淒rawing on the energy of its east London setting, the Lee Valley鈥檚 legacy of industriousness and creativity, and the exceptional cultural and landscape setting of the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, this will be a place for curiosity, learning and collaboration engaged with the culture of the surrounding city.鈥

Alex Lifschutz, director at Lifschutz Davidson Sandilands, said: 鈥淭his is a fascinating project for a building that combines many uses 鈥 residential as well as academic.

鈥淲e very much wish it also to become a place that local people visit and enjoy, to make contact with UCL and to engage in many inspiring conversations.

鈥淲e hope that this building together with its neighbour on the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park are as much of a catalyst for this new campus as the Wilkins 好色先生TV on Gower Street was for this most prestigious university in 1825.鈥

The shortlists

Marshgate:

  • Grimshaw Architects, with: Alan Baxter Associates, Mott MacDonald, Land Use Consultants, Social Communications.
  • Hawkins Brown Architects, with: MVRDV, Buro Happold, DJAO鈥揜AKITINE, Soundings.
  • Mecanoo International, with: ARUP, Commonplace.
  • Scott Brownrigg, with: UN STUDIO, Buro Happold, Atelier Ten, Gross Max.
  • Stanton Williams, with: ARUP, AKT II, VOGT, Soundings, Plan A Consultants, All Clear Designs.

Pool Street:

  • BDP.
  • Feilden Clegg Bradley Studios, with: Buro Happold, LDA Design, iDEA, Soundings.
  • Jestico & Whiles, with: Buro Happold, Ramboll, Plincke, Quatro.
  • John McAslan & Partners, with: Buro Happold.
  • Lifschutz Davidson Sandilands, with: Atelier Ten, AKT II, Kim Wilkie Landscape, PFB Construction Services, London Communications Agency.