London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine
Renowned for its research, postgraduate studies and education in public and global health, the need for further accommodation led to the erection of a free-standing 7 storey extension, utilising redundant courtyard spaces for the creation of both teaching spaces and meeting rooms.
London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine
Architect
Devereux Architects
Contractor
Osborne
The enhancement of this Grade II listed building was always going to be challenging – from initial planning and consultation with English Heritage, through to the complex installation process within a live school environment.
Early collaboration with the client was vital, helping us gain an understanding of their expectations and requirements on this complex and sensitive development. Assisting in the design stages as the scheme progressed, we partnered with the main contractor to ensure a seamless delivery.
The scheme was based around integrating two redundant courtyard spaces into the functionality of the building. A free-standing 7 storey extension to the Northern courtyard created a glazed 3-sided atrium. The design specified the internal courtyard to be filled in and capped with an atrium roof light housing embedded photovoltaic (PV) cells. New internal structures were to be constructed using aluminium curtain walling and the entire structure waterproofed.
One of the key challenges was providing a complete solution for the atrium rooflight. Components were manufactured and pre-assembled off-site where possible. The need to survey the existing masonry structure dictated that fabrication had to be just-in-time with immediate delivery to site, often out of sequence. The PV-cell embedded atrium roof light is highly effective at maximising the feel of space and light within the courtyard area, and contributes to the building’s renewable building services design, allowing it to generate up to 60% of its own power.
The challenge of working on this live site, with ongoing use by staff and students throughout, meant we had to handle some major access and scheduling issues, but the completed project is testament to the care we take of every detail.
