The Royal College of Art (RCA) has submitted proposals to Wandsworth Council for a £108 million state-of-the art building for postgraduate students and entrepreneurs, which will secure the RCA’s future in Battersea and deliver new studios, workshops and incubator units required to support its future growth. The expansion of the Battersea Campus will enable it to continue to compete globally and attract the highest calibre students and future entrepreneurs.
_
The project has been designed by Herzog & de Meuron, following an architectural competition. The new building will sit alongside the RCA’s existing Dyson, Woo and Sackler Buildings. It will facilitate the provision of 10 new programmes and the College’s expansion of its research and knowledge exchange centres into the domains of computer and materials science, the impact of the digital economy, advanced manufacturing and intelligent mobility. These areas of research and learning are critical to the UK economy, and the RCA has already attracted partnerships with world-leading businesses, including collaborations with the likes of Hyundai and Burberry.
The design of the new building incorporates a new café and art materials shop with improved routes through the site which will all be publicly accessible. Other public realm improvements are also proposed.
