London Met moves forward with £125m plan to create a modern and vibrant campus at Holloway.
Date: 11 November 2015
London Metropolitan University has begun its search for a masterplanner to bring its One Campus|One Community vision into reality.
The University is investing £125m at its Holloway campus in an ambitious project to bring all of its schools together on one site to create a modern teaching environment with an enhanced University community.
Last week, the University issued a scoping paper outlining the brief for prospective masterplanners.
The scoping paper states: ‘The University wants to develop a cohesive student community and particular attention will be given to developing places where our students want to be and can study and learn effectively. To achieve this there will be a need to engage with our students.
‘The University also wishes to strengthen its engagement with the local community, making the University more visible and welcoming, while maintaining the students’ sense of security.’
Holloway campus is already home to the RIBA award-winning Graduate Centre, designed by One World Trade Centre architect Daniel Libeskind, and the recently refurbished Great Hall which first opened its doors in 1897. The One Campus project aims to build on these strong foundations to create an inspirational environment in which to work, learn and socialise.
“This is an exciting new chapter in London Met’s history,” said Professor John Raftery, the University’s Vice Chancellor.
“It is an opportunity for us to build a truly modern University that meets the needs of today’s students. We will create a first-class environment for teaching, sharing ideas and a quality student experience.”
The £125m investment in One Campus|One Community will mainly be funded by the sale of buildings at Aldgate that the University will no longer require when its Cass School of Art, Architecture and Design moves to its new facilities in Holloway.
In June 2015 the University sold Commercial Road to the Department for Education, which intends to use the building for educational purposes. The Central House building is now for sale, although a lease-back clause will ensure the University is able to plan for a smooth move to Holloway.
