Kingston University

At Kingston University we take great pride in the difference we make to the lives of our 20,000 students and the wider community we serve. We are constantly striving to provide excellent services and to continue to make a positive contribution to the economic, social and cultural life of the borough.

Over the last 10 years we have achieved a lot by investing in our estate and over the next 10 years we hope to continue to improve and transform our campuses by providing an even better teaching and learning experience, and upgraded facilities for students, staff and the local community.

Working with RIBA award winning and Stirling Prize nominated, Grafton Architects, Kingston University obtained permission for its new landmark teaching building, replacing an outdated, temporary building with one of high quality design that offers a vibrant new face to the University and a welcoming gateway to Kingston upon Thames.

The new landmark building will transform the learning experience and bring together the University and the local community. Facilities will include a learning resources centre, a covered courtyard, cafes and a welcoming and attractive new landscaping scheme across the front of the campus.

We are excited to commence construction in April 2017. The new building and landscaping is due to be ready in 2019 representing the first phase of the University's vision for the future.

The new building will offer everyone a warm welcome. This includes students, staff and alumni, as well as the local community and visitors from further afield. It will act as the University's front door, providing information and assistance, celebrating learning, showcasing achievements and supporting collaborations with industry and others. It will provide a range of spaces that will facilitate learning as a social process, as well as spaces for quiet study.

The new building will offer everyone a warm welcome. This includes students, staff and alumni, as well as the local community and visitors from further afield. It will act as the University's front door, providing information and assistance, celebrating learning, showcasing achievements and supporting collaborations with industry and others. It will provide a range of spaces that will facilitate learning as a social process, as well as spaces for quiet study.

We have appointed Grafton Architects to design the new building. They have a world-class reputation and the University panel that selected them unanimously agreed that their proposal would provide a building which would transform the learning experience.

Grafton's design for Universita Luigi Bocconi, Milan, was named as World Building of the Year at the 2008 World Architecture Festival. In 2013 their University of Limerick Medical School was shortlisted for Britain's most prestigious architectural award, the RIBA Stirling Prize. They are currently working on Université Toulouse 1 Capitole in France, a £100million faculty building at the London School of Economics, and a new university of engineering - UTEC Lima, in Peru. The latter is among 30 buildings selected for visits by the RIBA awards committee under consideration for the inaugural 2016 RIBA International Prize. This project has also been nominated for the Design Museum's ninth annual awards and will form part of the opening programme of exhibitions when it opens in new premises in Kensington High Street in November 2016. They have also won a British Civic Trust award for sensitive construction in a conservation area.

The University was pleased to announce the appointment of Willmott Dixon Construction as the building contractor for Town House. They will be working closely with the existing team of Grafton Architects and Turner & Townsend to construct the landmark building.

Willmott Dixon Construction has an excellent track record in delivering multi-million pound public and commercial projects. It has been named Education Constructor of the Year by Education Investor magazine for three years in a row.

Over the course of the construction period the University will be working closely with Willmott Dixon who are part of the Considerate Constructors Scheme to ensure that disruption to students, staff and our neighbours outside of the campus is kept to a minimum.

We will also be hosting regular events both internally and externally with Willmott Dixon to provide information on the construction programme and provide opportunities for people to become involved in the project.

Our commitment to being environmentally conscious and sustainable will be at the forefront of the new development. The architects have designed a building which will accommodate the evolving needs of those who use, manage and fund buildings in efficient, effective, environmentally-friendly ways over the building's whole life.

We were awarded a Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Method (BREEAM) rating of 'Excellent' for our new Kingston Business School building in 2012 and we are currently on target to exceed a BREEAM 'Excellent' rating for this new building.

One of the sustainable features of the new building will include a green roof – a lightweight plant covering to encourage biodiversity:

"Grafton Architects are delighted with their appointment to design this exciting new building for Kingston University. We found the educational vision, as expressed in the brief for the building, extremely progressive and inspirational. The building we designed was a direct response to this vision which called for openness, interaction, connection with the community of students, and connection with the wider community of Kingston." Shelley McNamara and Yvonne Farrell, Grafton Architects

"Grafton have an international reputation for designing thoughtful, beautifully detailed buildings and the University is excited to be working with them on the first Grafton building in the UK." Sean Woulfe, Director of Estates, Kingston University

Willmott Dixon Construction will formally take ownership of the site in April 2017. Prior to this they will begin preparatory works to make the site ready for construction to commence. All necessary measures will be taken by Willmott Dixon to ensure that disruption is kept to a minimum.

Construction will start in April 2017, with the building targeted for completion and being open for use for the beginning of the 2019 academic year.