Q&A on Tavistock Place building projects

Why does LSHTM need to improve its buildings?

Ways of working and studying have changed in recent years and LSHTM’s buildings in central London need to keep up with modern expectations.

We are improving our buildings in Keppel Street and Tavistock Place in Bloomsbury to provide a high quality, flexible and sustainable environment for research and education.

The building projects are part of a long-term strategic masterplan to improve LSHTM’s infrastructure and enhance its ability to improve health worldwide.

Having the right kind of facilities is key to achieving our vision for a more healthy, sustainable and equitable world.

What is happening at Tavistock Place?

We are transforming our building which fronts on to the street at 15-17 Tavistock Place to create dedicated facilities for our students. The site in Tavistock Place will become a state-of-the-art teaching and learning centre.

This project follows the opening of a new office building which sits just behind. This is home to some of our academic and professional services staff. You can read more about that building in this news story marking the opening (and in the previous Q&A – see below).

What will the redeveloped Tavistock Place site be used for?

The plans for 15-17 Tavistock Place support LSHTM’s strategic vision for high-quality education facilities for our students.

LSHTM will move its main general teaching spaces from Keppel Street into the refurbished and transformed building. The new teaching and learning centre at Tavistock Place will also include a range of breakout and social learning areas, as well as support services. Using hybrid approaches and other cutting-edge technologies, it will enable more flexible options for the delivery of our education programmes.

What will it look like?

The historic exterior will not change much in appearance in line with the planning approval granted by Camden Council.

However, we plan to add decorative motifs of the gilded vectors of disease - which already feature on our art deco Keppel Street building - to the railings and entrance gate. There will also be new and improved signage.

To create more space inside the building, plant equipment will be placed carefully and sensitively on the roof as part of the plans.

The inside of the building will look very different from before, with narrow corridors opened out to create more open, airy spaces. New and improved features such as high-spec technology to enhance teaching and learning will also be added.

What will be in the teaching and learning centre?

It will provide a one-stop-shop for students, with flexible teaching rooms, social and study areas, wrap-around services, student support, prayer room and counselling spaces. The plans feature:

19 teaching rooms
3 quiet study rooms
10 group study rooms
3 open social spaces
2 social learning spaces
3 recording rooms
2 student tea points
Prayer rooms
Wellbeing room
Parent/ expectant mother room
Staff room with tea point
Student support services suite

Will all students be based at Tavistock Place?

Although the new centre will house the main general teaching facilities, there will still be teaching rooms in Keppel Street, for example to support laboratory work as all our laboratories remain in Keppel Street. Students will also continue to use the Library at Keppel Street, as well as attend lectures and events in the John Snow and Manson lecture theatres and Pumphandle social space.

How will the new building fulfil environmental aims and be sustainable?

Sustainability is a key part of our strategy and estates masterplan. For example, the Tavistock Place teaching and learning centre will feature a green roof with solar panels to support energy supply. There will also be air source heat pumps on the roof, supported by a successful Salix application. There will be no gas in the building.

Who is designing the teaching and learning centre?

Rivington Street Studios architects, Buro Happold MEP and Structures, in consultation with LSHTM staff representatives.

Who is building it?

T&B (Contractors) Ltd, with Mechanical Services Limited as the main sub contractor. LSHTM has worked with both of these previously delivering successful projects under LSHTM contractors’ framework

How long will it take to build?

Construction of the main works start in 2024 for a targeted completion in the 2025/26 academic year.

How is LSHTM engaging with neighbours and the local community around this development?

Throughout our building projects, we have liaised closely with our neighbours and local community. This approach is continuing with the latest Tavistock Place project and consultations as part of the planning process.

The Construction Management Plan is a live document and the last version is available from the plans page.

What improvements are happening at Keppel Street?

LSHTM’s historic Keppel Street building, a short walk away from Tavistock Place, is also benefiting from major internal refurbishment including new laboratory facilities, new social space, better use of available space, and upgrades to the infrastructure.

Activities across the sites will complement and enhance each other to maximise real-world impact. Through research excellence, global reach and impact, LSHTM will continue to work with partners around the world to find solutions to the most important challenges in health and to train the future generation of health leaders.

Previous Q&A

Where is the new building (TP2)?

TP2 is a new building for research and education on our Tavistock Place site in Bloomsbury, London. It sits behind an existing LSHTM building known as ‘TP1’ which fronts on to the street at 15-17 Tavistock Place, and replaces a large outbuilding/shed previously used for storage.

TP2 is the first completely new building on LSHTM’s London site since the 1929 art deco Keppel Street building.

How big is it?

The new building provides 2,512m²of working space (similar size to existing TP1 Tavistock Place building).

6 storeys in total including a basement and five storeys above ground. The top roof level floor is for plant and equipment.
167km of cabling throughout TP2 - enough to reach France.
27 toilets and 37 wash basins.

What is the building used for?

More than 200 members of staff working in professional services, education and research – including from the Faculty of Public Health and Policy who were previously in TP1 - are based in offices at TP2. This will free up TP1 for students to benefit from new teaching and learning facilities.

The new building is a key part of LSHTM’s plans for strengthening its teaching and research in public health.

LSHTM trains future global health leaders and supports education and training for key staff in the UK and overseas. Its research shapes public health policy in the UK and around the world, improving hospital and medical practice for patients. Our scientists played a key role in the COVID-19 response and continue to address the most important global challenges in health such as pandemic preparedness and climate and health, working across disciplines with partners in the UK and worldwide.

With improved facilities, scientists at LSHTM can build on their national and international collaborations to work together on finding solutions to major health challenges which affect us all.

How green is the building?

TP2 has received a rating of Excellent according to the internationally-recognised BREEAM certification of standards for a sustainable built environment. Sustainable construction is an important factor in LSHTM’s work towards its Energy Carbon Management Plan and Heat Decarbonisation Plan.

From the outset, LSHTM set demanding energy and carbon reduction targets as part of its drive for net zero by 2030.

Sustainable design features include:

Integrated natural, fully recyclable cladding materials.
Extensive roof planting to enhance the local ecology and biodiversity.
‘Blue roof’ for storing and managing rainwater.
Smart building technologies for low and zonal energy use and includes natural and mixed mode ventilation.
138 chilled beams providing ventilation and heating and cooling to the building.
New solar panels on TP1 roof serve TP2.
The air handling unit can bring in 3.8m^3 (cubic metres) of air per second and is capable of blowing up a balloon the size of Wembley Stadium in roughly 3.5 days.

What’s special about TP2?

Position

TP2 is a feat of architectural and building skill due to the nature of the site and its restricted position. Enclosed by buildings in a conservation area in central London, the project was carried out with great care and in conjunction with the local community from the start.

The site is largely hidden from the public by TP1 but still required high quality design to enhance a setting that includes numerous Grade 1 and 2 Listed Buildings.

Rooftop gardens

The architects deployed a concept of “A Bloomsbury Garden” to take the Georgian planning approach of landscaped squares and adapt it for the TP2 site by creating a series of rooftop gardens. The planting, which supports local ecology and biodiversity, can be seen on the terraces rising up the set-back levels of the building. Having the terraces staggered and set back in this way also allows more light into the building and neighbouring properties.

Brass cladding

Contrasting with the greenery, the outside of the building has brass cladding that will weather to a rich brown layer, or patina, to complement the 18th century brickwork on the neighbouring Georgian crescent. The 78 screens over the glazing provide extra privacy for neighbours and include a unique feature that ties TP2 in with LSHTM’s heritage in epidemiology.

Artistic nod to legacy of John Snow, the father of epidemiology

Artwork has been laser-cut through the brass screens to allow daylight into the building. The artwork is a weave of abstracted fragments of John Snow’s famous 18th century map that solved the riddle of cholera outbreaks in London and launched the field of epidemiology.

How much did it cost?

The project cost £35m, with construction costs making up £23m. It was delivered on budget – a huge testament to the team.

Where did the money come from?

LSHTM provided capital funding support with additional funding coming from a Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) grant and generous philanthropic donations. We are deeply grateful for the support we have received for this project from our philanthropic partners, which was critical in keeping the development moving forward.

How long did it take?

Planning permission for the new building was granted by Camden Council in 2017 following four years of planning. Building works on the site began in 2018 and continued in phases until completion in 2023 with a short pause during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Who designed TP2?

BMJ Architects

Who built it?

8build Construction Ltd.

8build created jobs and opportunities for the area by exceeding their target of procuring 10% of goods and services locally and offered apprenticeships in various trades in partnership with local training centres.

Over 60 separate subcontractors have been appointed by 8build
Over 1400 site workers were inducted during the build
There were 150+ people working on site at its peak.
Although COVID-19 meant work paused temporarily at the start of lockdown, the team adapted to new ways of working and the site was safely up and running when the construction sector was allowed to return to work.

What were the main challenges?

Restricted site

A plus point of the location is its proximity to strategic partners located within the London Knowledge Quarter. But this also led to certain challenges, notably the constricted nature of the site itself and its location at the heart of the Bloomsbury Conservation Area, surrounded by numerous listed and residential buildings. Adjacent properties are less than 2m from the new building to the north perimeter.

The team worked collaboratively with Camden Planning Authority to develop modern but contextual architecture, paying attention to the selection of materials, landscaping and detailing.

The project involved digging underground to maximise the building’s space with a basement.

The 78 privacy fins featuring the John Snow-inspired artwork provide screening between the building and local residents around the north, east and west perimeter.

Access

Access to the site was challenging and construction materials had to be brought through archways in the existing TP1 building. Architect Duncan Leach, BMJ’s Director, described it as “like building a ship in a bottle”. The team also used cranes to deliver to the site over the top of buildings to avoid trying to squeeze through at ground level.

Noise and disruption

Noise and disruption to LSHTM staff in TP1 and neighbouring residents and businesses was controlled as part of the planning permission requirements and the Construction Management Plan (CMP). The team used a range of measures to mitigate the impact such as set working hours, regular communication, monitoring and liaison.

Traffic

On a busy road, the CMP included extensive requirements around traffic management for construction vehicles and activities to ensure people’s safety and ability to go about their business.

How did you involve local residents in the project?

LSHTM and the team – including a specialist consultant who led community engagement activities – developed a comprehensive local engagement strategy from the outset and implemented it faithfully throughout. The team worked hard to identify the diverse local community groups, from residents, community and business associations to special interest groups for cycling, local health and conservation, and to consult with them extensively. Find out more in this blog.

The good relationships allowed LSHTM to maximise and make more efficient use of the area while addressing the community's concerns where possible. In particular, a comprehensive CMP was developed to address their concerns in detail. The team maintained regular ongoing community liaison throughout construction to ensure any new issues could be promptly addressed.

Lessons and approaches will be taken forward with the community as plans are made and implemented for the next phase of works at Tavistock Place on the TP1 building's interior.

What else is happening in the building improvements project?

The interior of TP1, in front of the new building, is to be transformed into a teaching and learning centre, with design work now under way for a completion in 2025.

LSHTM’s historic Keppel Street building, a short walk away from Tavistock Place, is also benefiting from major internal refurbishment including new laboratory facilities, better use of available space and upgrades to the infrastructure.