Residential Complex or Educational Building Located on One Pool Street, connected to UCL East
One Pool Street: UCL's Innovative Gateway to a Vibrant East Campus
One Pool Street, designed by Lifschutz Davidson Sandilands (LDS), marks UCL's entry into Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park as its gateway building for the new East campus. This unique structure blends student accommodation with a diverse mix of learning and public spaces, bridging the gap between education and civic life.
Situated in the heart of the park, One Pool Street stands tall with a robust and adaptable design. The building consists of a three-storey podium dedicated to interdisciplinary teaching and public functions, crowned by two towers of student housing reaching up to 13 and 17 storeys.
The building's programme is diverse, encompassing research labs, academic workspaces, a cinema, café, shop, and a public-facing atrium. The atrium serves not only as a top-lit performance space but also as a public foyer, fostering an atmosphere of exploration, inclusivity, and engagement.
The exterior of One Pool Street is a testament to functional design, with precast concrete panels in a palette of whites and greys. The textures alternate between smooth and rough, subtly integrating elements such as stair silhouettes and shading overhangs to help mitigate strong winds across the park.
Inside, the bedrooms are compact yet comfortable, equipped with en-suites and large windows offering expansive views. Student rooms are clustered in small flats of 8 to 11 bedrooms, prioritising communal living. Moreover, the rooms can be reconfigured for postgraduate use or visiting scholars, demonstrating the building's future-proofing.
Triple-aspect common rooms are located at the ends of the towers, framed by wraparound glazing. These social spaces offer panoramic views across the park, creating an inviting environment for collaboration and interaction. A notable feature is that all windows in the building, including in student rooms, are fully openable, a departure from restrictive norms in student housing.
One Pool Street's hybrid design of living, learning, and public engagement spaces aligns with LDS's broader aim of delivering "hard-working" architecture. This approach, which has guided their ongoing relationship with UCL since the Bloomsbury campus masterplan over a decade ago, ensures that the building serves multiple purposes while maintaining a cohesive and functional design.
The East Bank initiative, which includes the V&A Storehouse and Sadler's Wells East, further enhances the cultural and educational district in which One Pool Street stands. By embracing this initiative, UCL is inviting people from east London to collaborate with them on various topics, embarking on a new type of university experience that invites collaboration and exploration.
[1] This information is based on the provided bullet points and may not represent the complete or final details of the project. For more accurate and up-to-date information, please refer to official UCL or Lifschutz Davidson Sandilands sources.
The hybrid design of One Pool Street, combining student accommodation with interdisciplinary teaching spaces, fosters a seamless blend of education and civic life. The building's diverse programme, including a cinema, café, shop, and public-facing atrium, also encompasses cultural elements, creating a vibrant hub for education, self-development, and arts within the East Bank initiative.
