Campus facilities and build

On Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, in east London, two buildings will provide solid foundations to the UCL East campus. With construction started in 2019, One Pool Street is now nearing completion and will be ready to open for the start of the 2022 academic year, while Marshgate is still underway and set to open in 2023.

“Our UCL East buildings will provide facilities for cross-disciplinary research and open innovation, new approaches to practical learning, opportunities for public engagement, and student living spaces that are modern and sustainable."

Professor Paola Lettieri, Director, UCL East

UCL East on 25 Feb 2022 - with Marshgate (left) and One Pool Street (right)

Aerial view of UCL East model, including the first two buildings and outline masterplan blocks

Artist impression of the two UCL East buildings: Marshgate and One Pool Street.

Artist impression of the exterior of the Marshgate building

Artist impression of the interior of the Marshgate building: the atrium.

Artist impression of the interior of the Marshgate building.

Artist impression of the interior of the Marshgate building: the Institute of Making.

Artist impression of the exterior of the One Pool Street building.

Artist impression of the interior of the One Pool Street building

Artist impression of the exterior of the One Pool Street building: the Nature-Smart terrace.

Artist impression of the exterior of the Pool Street West building: the roof terrace, overlooking Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park

One Pool Street: Illustrative view from tower © Lifschutz Davidson Sandilands.

Key features of the UCL East campus

Clear links between UCL East and the Olympic Park. The campus will be inextricably linked with, and complementary to, its surroundings. The planned 'promenade', for example, will form an arrival space for UCL East and connect visitors and users of the buildings with the wider Park.
Movement in, around and through the buildings. A 'Fluid Zone' has been introduced across the lower levels of the buildings to invite people into the campus and encourage movement and flow. Active frontages will connect UCL East to its surroundings.
Vibrant public spaces. The planned 'Plaza', for example, will be a vibrant public space and the heart of UCL East, defined by the buildings around it and linked to the Promenade and planned terraces.
Safe and secure environment. The building design seeks to ensure the safety of all those who use the buildings through lighting, visual connectivity, overlooking from active areas, and strong sightlines across the public realm.
Student accommodation. Both of the Pool Street sites and Marshgate will include student accommodation above the lower levels.

One Pool Street - opening in autumn 2022

The building now known as One Pool Street (previously Pool Street West) will feature a range of uses, including student accommodation, academic, retail, community and public engagement uses.

The design of One Pool Street encourages innovative academic programming, as well as a range of events and activities. Performances, exhibitions, workshops and lectures will contribute to a lively and creative learning atmosphere. In addition to a centre for Robotics & Autonomous Systems, it will house the Urban Room, a major public and community space, but also School for Creative and Cultural Industries spaces - namely, a Slade studio and a London Memory Workshop. Meanwhile, the People and Nature Lab will use the Park as a 'living lab', and the Global Disability Innovation Hub will move there from its current home at Here East.

The lower levels of the building will also feature a range of retail and food and drink units to cater to both the public and UCL students and staff.

Marshgate - opening in 2023

The building currently known as Marshgate will feature predominantly academic uses, but will also include retail, community and engagement uses.

At the heart of the building is a central atrium that is openly accessible to encourage inclusivity and community engagement, with the use of 'Fluid Zones' at ground and first floor level to draw people into the building. Floor space above these levels has been designed to encourage collaboration and engagement between academic uses through largely open plan and circulatory spaces.

Marshgate will house spaces for the Engineering at UCL East, the Advanced Propulsion Lab, the Manufacturing Futures Lab, the Urban and Built Environment Co-Labs, as well as the Institute of Finance and Technology and the Global Business School for Health, which will cater to leading professionals' needs. The Institute of Making, a multidisciplinary research club for those interested in the made world, will also occupy space on the ground and first floor levels; as will the School for Creative and Cultural Industries, which will comprise a media lab, an object-based learning laboratory, and a suite of conservation facilities.