Both of UCL East’s buildings shortlisted for prestigious RIBA London Award

Both One Pool Street and Marshgate have been nominated for the RIBA London Award, on a shortlist which also includes our neighbour, Sadlers Wells East, whose gorgeous structure provides a new home for contemporary dance on the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park.  

RIBA is a global professional membership body which aims to advance architectural excellence. Buildings are judged by an expert jury across four key evaluation criteria: architectural excellence, impact, sustainability and context, and functionality. Winning the RIBA London Award is a pathway to the National Awards and finally the Stirling Prize, widely considered the UK’s most prestigious architectural award.  

Both buildings have unique merits which position them well for the prize. One Pool Street is a mixed-use structure which includes both student residences and multifunctional spaces for teaching, learning, performance, exhibitions, and screenings. The Marshgate Building is a multidisciplinary hub with world class laboratories and facilities aiming to create the perfect environment for academics and students to confront the world’s biggest challenges.  

Gavin Henderson, Principal Director of Stanton Williams, the architects of the Marshgate Building said:  

We’re delighted that UCL East Marshgate has been shortlisted for a RIBA London Award. It’s a real honour to see the project recognised in this way, and especially meaningful at a moment when UCL is celebrating its 200th anniversary. Designed to support the new ways of thinking needed to address the world's most pressing problems, this is a new type of academic building, fully interdisciplinary and engaged with the public – one that reflects UCL’s long-standing commitment to openness and innovation. This recognition is a huge credit to the entire project team and to UCL for their vision and ambition."

Vice Provost (Strategy), Professor Paola Lettieri, said:  

One Pool Street and Marshgate both being nominated for the RIBA London Award is testament to the transformative thinking at the heart of the UCL East campus, which sees multidisciplinarity  as a central pillar of placemaking, thereby creating the optimal environment for our students and academics to find solutions to local and global problems." 

Hannah Milner, Capital Programme Director, UCL Estates, said:

“Having both buildings shortlisted is a real acknowledgement of the ambition behind UCL East. Delivering One Pool Street and Marshgate required complex engineering and close collaboration across teams. These two spaces show our strong commitment to supporting UCL's academic ambition in global research and the growth of community partnerships in the area. It’s rewarding to see this recognised by RIBA as we continue shaping a campus designed for the future." 

With 72 projects nominated, the competition is tough, but to see our built environment continue to get commended by national bodies, including recent nominations for the Concrete Society Awards and the Civic Trust Awards, is true commendation of the vision UCL has to transform the way people learn in London’s east.