UCL East campus was officially opened recently by Olympic champion and former UCL student Christine Ohuruogu MBE, together with two recent graduates, and London Deputy Mayor for Culture and Creative Industries Justine Simons.  Guests were welcomed by UCL President & Provost, Dr Michael Spence, Victor Chu CBE, Chair of UCL Council, and Professor Paola Lettieri, Pro-Provost UCL East. Alex Lifschutz, Abigail Thomas and Douglas Inglis from our team were delighted to be a part of this big occasion.

A robotic ‘dog’, piloted by UCL robotics researchers. delivered a big orange button to the stage, which was pressed by Christine to declare UCL East officially open.

Our One Pool Street (OPS) building, forms one of two key elements of the new campus, providing accommodation for more than 500 students, as well as teaching spaces, a cinema, a café and a shop offering essentials and groceries for students on site.  OPS is home to a range of cutting-edge new UCL schools and centres including UCL’s People and Nature Lab, UCL Robotics and Autonomous Systems and activity led by the UCL School for Creative and Cultural Industries and The Bartlett at UCL East.

OPS is positioned on the river in the south of the Park, next to the London Aquatics Centre and opposite the ArcelorMittal Orbit.  Marshgate, on the opposite side of the river, is the other element of this first phase of the East campus.  UCL is the first of five world renowned institutions to open at East Bank, the UK’s new culture, innovation and learning quarter on Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park. Also newly opened here is the London College of Fashion UAL, which will be joined by Sadler’s Wells East in 2024, and by the V&A East and BBC Music Studios in 2025. The development is backed by the Mayor of London as a legacy of the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games. 

LDS has had a long and creative association with the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park.  We created a masterplan to transform the area from its Olympic legacy into an attractive London neighbourhood, known as East Village and completed two courtyard buildings in the Athletes’ Village for the 2012 Olympic Games.

Professor Paola Lettieri FREng, Pro-Provost UCL East, said:

“Working with local communities will be central to the activity on our new UCL East campus. We will be bringing together scientists, students, the public, business and industry to explore topics ranging from robotics and AI to health, urbanisation, disability and sustainability, inviting people from east London to collaborate with us. One Pool Street has been designed to facilitate a wide range of learning and co-production opportunities that we believe will drive innovation, discovery and creativity to new levels.”

Click here to read more about the project. https://lds-uk.com/one-pool-street/