Herzog & de Meuron Selected for RCA Campus

John Hill

10. novembre 2016

Image: Herzog & de Meuron

The Royal College of Art (RCA) has announced that the Swiss architecture firm Herzog & de Meuron has won the invited competition for its new £108 million Battersea South campus in London.

According to Malcom Reading Consultants, which carried out the competition, "The acclaimed practice ... was the clear choice of the competition jury, who assessed an exceptional shortlist of seven international architectural practices."

The six runners up were:

Christian Kerez (Switzerland)
Diller Scofidio + Renfro (US)
Lacaton & Vassal (France)
Robbrecht en Daem architecten (Belgium)
Serie Architects (UK/Singapore)
Studio Gang (US)

Herzog & de Meuron's scheme was lauded for "its strong engagement with the existing College buildings and wider surroundings in Battersea." The campus project will replace an existing RCA building and sit next to three RCA buildings all designed by Haworth Tompkins.

Per Malcom Reading Consultants, "The RCA is transforming into a dynamic STEAM-focused graduate university (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Mathematics/Medicine), expanding its research and knowledge exchange centers into the domains of computer and materials science, the impact of the digital economy, advanced manufacturing and intelligent mobility. ... the RCA aims to make a transformational impact in areas such as: connected cities; robotics, the internet of things and intelligent mobility; and sustainability, mass migration and city design."

RCA will now work with Herzog & de Meuron and Mott MacDonald & Equals Consulting, who are leading the multidisciplinary professional team, to develop the initial concept design.