KCL Quadrangle shortlisted for two AJ Retrofit Awards – Latest

We’re thrilled that the King’s College London Quadrangle Building has been shortlisted for the Higher Education and Campus Award and the Listed Building £5m and Over Award at the 2023 Architects’ Journal Retrofit Awards. The AJ Retrofit Awards celebrate the design expertise behind the vital renewal and repurposing of existing buildings, setting a precedent for ways to reduce the industry’s carbon footprint in the process.

Completed in 2022, the project transformed a derelict two-storey basement and unloved quadrangle between the Grade I-listed Somerset House and King's Building to accommodate the growing Department of Engineering. This retrofit has created vibrant new facilities for the department’s diverse teaching, learning and research activities, as well as a social heart for the central London campus.

By choosing retrofit over demolition and rebuild, the completed design repurposed an existing building and slashed the amount of structural embodied carbon compared to calculations associated with new build. The benefits of retention on an operational urban campus exceed sustainability; less demolition minimised air contamination, vehicle congestion, and campus disruption.

Our approach to the engineering works centred around detailed building analysis, which allowed our engineers to demonstrate that the existing structure’s residual capacity was more than sufficient for the proposed use, which allowed the structure to be kept and adapted for its new life.

Congratulations to all involved in the KCL Quadrangle Building retrofit. We look forward to seeing the winners announced at the ceremony on 4th April.