Milestone Ceremony

Birkbeck builds on success as £18 project raises the roof

2 April 2003

Project Facts

Birkbeck celebrates yet another milestone with the completion of the roof stage of its £18m campus consolidation project.

During our Milestone Ceremony on Friday 4 April, the Master of Birkbeck, Professor David Latchman, marked the completion of the roof stage by unveiling a commemorative plaque in the college's new extension building.

The Malet Street Project, WC1, due for completion in July, involves the construction of a 7,000 m² extension onto the back and roof of the main building, adding 45 per cent more floor space within the existing building's footprint. An additional 1,400 m² area will be created for the library, enabling Birkbeck to consolidate its three libraries within a single facility for the first time. A new front entrance will face onto Torrington Square and a suite of four lecture theatres will be developed in the basement.

"The aim of the design by Nick Evans Architects was to provide Birkbeck students with a greater sense of belonging, given their often short visits to the college in the evening," says Professor Latchman. "This will be achieved by the creation of a notable heart and central meeting place. Birkbeck is very pleased to see this project taking shape and our staff and students look forward to reaping the benefits."

Richard Hopkinson, Director and Co-Founder of Nick Evans Architects adds: "A key element of the design is the library as an identifiable heart of the building, symbolising and unifying teaching and research activities within a welcoming space, accessed via a strong front entrance. The library will have a prominent position and there will be an interplay up through the building with the entrance hall rising to the full height of the library, which spans three floors."

While the project is modern in design, it was vital to maintain links with the past and not overshadow the University of London precinct, for which Sir Charles Holden was commissioned to design new buildings in 1931. Although the Birkbeck Holden building is not listed (unlike Senate House) it is considered part of an assembly that is of significant merit and so restrictions were placed on the project. "To ensure the project sat comfortably with Holden's designs, we stressed the horizontality of the original designs in the new building. You can identify a Holden building by this horizontality, so we played on that," says Hopkinson.

Dealing with an existing building brings its own problems because the builders don't always know exactly what they are going to find. Hopkinson was given archive drawings of the original construction, some of which were prepared pre-war, with others completed post-war. "There have been one or two surprises," he says, "for example, integrating the old drainage routes with the new steel leg structure is quite tricky".

Nick Davies, Operations Director at Miller Construction, the project's main contractors, says: "Miller is delighted to be part of another challenging construction project in the education sector. The development at Birkbeck is ideal for the Miller approach to construction - the programme is tight, the mix of work is quite complex and it is located in one of the busiest areas of London. We have been involved in the project from the outset and have been able to add value to the design and construction process throughout."

Project Facts:

Birkbeck's new reception will face onto Torrington Square, which will undergo landscaping to improve pedestrian access to the college and the University of London precinct.

From the reception, visitors will be able to see through to the basement, where a suite of four lecture theatres will be located.

A 7,000 m² extension will be constructed onto the back and roof of the main building, adding 45 per cent more floor space within the existing building's footprint.

The School of Economics, Mathematics and Statistics and the School of Geography will relocate to Malet Street.

An additional 1,400 m² area will be created for the library (on floors 1-3), enabling Birkbeck's three collections to be housed within a single integrated facility for the first time.

The library will become the identifiable heart of the new building, unifying teaching and research activities within a welcoming space. The entrance hall will rise to the full height of the library, which spans three floors.

New accommodation will enable the School of Biological and Chemical Sciences to be consolidated into a single location.

Refurbished lifts will serve all floors, improving disabled access.

The main contractor is Miller Construction (UK) Ltd, with sub-contractors Meica and mechanical electrical designers Chapman Bathurst. McBains Cooper are the Project Managers and are responsible for cost surveying.

Contact:
Catherine Doherty, Media and Publicity Officer
External Relations, Birkbeck, University of London, Malet Street, Bloomsbury, London WC1E 7HX
Tel 020 7631 6569
Fax 020 7631 6351
Email c.doherty@bbk.ac.uk

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