Queen Mary College, University of London

The refurbishment of the ground floor focused on increasing student flow into and through the building, improving wayfinding, and accommodating innovative student-staff connectivity.   

The new rooftop extension is a lightweight, two-storey element providing flexible study spaces arranged around a central double height space, lit by a large rooflight on the fourth floor. Externally, it is clad in a super-insulated, metal rainscreen panel system, with high performance glazing and passive solar shading. 

We engaged extensively with a complex network of education stakeholders, ranging from end-users, library and maintenance staff through to academic committees and the QMUL Estates Team. As project architect, principal designer, and heritage consultant, we steered the consultant team, main contractor and specialists to successfully deliver the project.   

The project was delivered entirely in BIM (level 2), utilising complex modelling in Autodesk Revit. The project has improved efficiency across the multi-disciplinary design team by streamlining collaboration and enabling high-quality visualisations throughout the design process. 

In line with the London Plan, the rooftop extension has been designed to achieve a BREEAM Excellent rating. 

The ITL Building

In 2024, we were granted planning permission to retrofit and extend an outdated building at QMUL. Originally designed by MacCormac Jamieson Pritchard and Arup in 1989 as the School of Electronic Engineering and Computer Science, Purcell’s transformation will create a new, high-performance, inclusive Informatics Teaching Laboratory (ITL). 

The existing three-storey 1,545 sqm building forms part of the university’s Mile End campus. As well as being retrofitted to significantly improve energy performance, the spatial organisation will respond to more dynamic learning and teaching styles and will follow an inclusive design methodology. An additional 2,760 sqm set over two storeys above the original building, along with a five-storey addition to the east for improved circulation, will increase student capacity from 260 to 450, supporting a growing demand for informatics teaching at the university. 

The Queen's Building

Originally built as the ‘People’s Palace’, the ornate, classical-style Queens’ Building was conceived as a place of both entertainment and education, designed to bring education and culture to the local community.   

We were appointed to assess the cross-departmental use of the building and explore options for its reorganisation to meet a diverse and varied brief of administrative functions, learning and teaching accommodation, and student-facing services. 

Centrally located on campus, the university sought to transform the Queens’ Building into a hub for student life at QMUL. With administrative services moving off-campus, the project creates a centralised space for student support, integrating academic, health, and wellbeing services. The design carefully balances operational efficiency with sensitivity to the emotional needs of users. 

While adapting historic buildings poses challenges, our heritage expertise has informed a respectful and innovative approach. Their detailed heritage and structural assessments support the restoration of original room proportions, aligning with the university’s spatial and pedagogical goals while preserving the building’s historic character.