LSBU & South Bank Colleges, Block A - STEAM Centre, Nine Elms, Vauxhall, London

South Bank College’s new campus at Nine Elms represents a pioneering achievement as the first comprehensive new-build technical college in a generation. The Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Maths (STEAM) Centre is the flagship building that is set to revolutionize teaching, learning, and career development. This innovative project is part of the larger Nine Elms regeneration masterplan, a transformation of a former industrial district into a vibrant city hub.

Rock Townsend was appointed to lead the design of the 10-storey building through Design Stages 3 and 4, with a focus on optimizing space planning, maximizing learning areas, and delivering high-quality environments for students and staff. These objectives were shaped around strict sustainability goals and the need to future-proof the building to ensure flexibility and adaptability for years to come.

The STEAM building accommodates a variety of learning spaces, including traditional classrooms, specialist vocational workshops, and informal breakout areas. These spaces support a diverse curriculum that spans construction skills, dental technology, engineering, digital and creative industries, along with core subjects like English and math.

In addition to their design role, Rock Townsend was appointed as the lead Technical Advisor (TA), overseeing a multidisciplinary team including façade specialists, MEP engineers, civil and structural engineers, acousticians, landscape architects, and accessibility experts. This project forms the first phase of the APLB masterplan for Lambeth College, which will include a second phase with an additional 12,000 sqm of teaching spaces in two new buildings, currently under design by Rock Townsend.

The STEAM building proposal underwent a comprehensive review by the client and the TA team, leading to several significant improvements that have enhanced the design and functionality of the building without affecting the original planning application.

The redesign includes the integration of the original Level 10 teaching spaces within the lower floors and aligning the building with the Department for Education (DfE) standards and ensure future adaptability, specifically adjusting floor to floor height of ground an first floor from 4.275m to 4.05m and Levels 2 to 9 up from from 3.35m to 3.6m.

These changes have resulted in several key improvements:

The introduction of window head louvres to enable a local 'hybrid' MVHR ventilation system, reducing complex ductwork and improving efficiency.
Enhanced natural light penetration to the back of classrooms.
Simplified maintenance with fewer filters and bulkheads.
An increase in corridor height from 2400mm to 2700mm, improving spatial perception and well-being.
Removal of excessive high-level ductwork, leading to a cleaner and more professional appearance.

Ultimately leading to one less floor being built and an overall reduction in height of 1.35m to the building envelope.

London South Bank Technical College will offer life-changing opportunities for South Londoners who want to learn new skills in engineering, technology, science, dentistry, maths and creative digital . The new technical college will give students state-of-the-art facilities to learn, develop and build successful careers.
— Fiona Morey, executive principal South Bank College.