King’s College London is embarking on a project to redevelop the Quadrangle and its associated buildings at the College’s historic Strand Campus in London WC2. The Strand is the College’s founding campus, dating from the early 19th century, and is a Grade 1 listed site. It is at the heart of the King’s estate, with a prime location overlooking the Thames, mid-way between the Houses of Parliament and St Paul’s Cathedral. Given the distinction of King’s research and teaching and this campus’ key location close to Westminster, the City, West End, South Bank and Law Courts, the College has important links with the worlds of policy, law, culture and arts, which it wishes to develop still further.

A campus-wide consultation was led by Nomad RDC to ascertain student and staff perceptions of the Quad space. The outcomes and vision for the Quad space can be accessed via the King’s College website. The consultation and staff perceptions informed the initial design brief which is the basis for the Architectural Competition won by Hall McKnight Architects.

At the DQI Briefing stage workshop, stakeholders debated and agreed their aspirations for the project. Issues raised and discussions during the session were recorded in a Briefing Record, to be used at later DQI assessment stages as a benchmark to evaluate the design. An appraisal of the existing Campus was also carried out as a group discussion. Some points raised during the session were:
- The design should provide solutions to challenges of the site’s historic layout and planning restrictions, to achieve the flexibility and adaptability for its university use
- New facilities provided should be sustainable, minimise emissions, and reduce requirements for heating and cooling
- Main entrance should be clearly defined and easier to find, it was agreed the following are needed: a better presence on the Strand, visibility into the site, more welcoming reception and open space entrance hall

The building should be designed in a way that reduces stress for its users, makes spaces enjoyable to use and provides a good internal environment.

Image: www.kcl.ac.uk