Arts and Sciences Common Room

The new student common room replaces a former language laboratory and provides a new social study space for a unique degree course established by UCL which links Arts and Sciences subjects and allows students to choose major and minor pathways with core subjects.

The selected site was in a relatively prominent campus location within a Victorian building and our brief was to produce a design (which could be implemented over the Summer break) which reflected the historic nature of the University combined with the contemporary aspirations of the new degree course.

Our response revealed formerly hidden cast iron beams, created a new 'media wall' to the rear of the space and a combination of 'settings' for individual study, collaborative working and social space.

Material used include coloured 'writable glass', maple strip cladding to walls and a floating ceiling and a selection of contemporary furniture to create a bright, cheery and welcoming space.