new academic building 2008 - lse · pdf filevincent cheng wolfson foundation ... corporate and...

New Academic Building

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Estates DivisionLondon School of Economics and Political ScienceQueens House55-56 Lincoln’s Inn FieldsLondon WC2A 3LJ

New Academic Building 2008

Printed using vegetable InksDesign: Buchanan DaveyCover printed on 75% recycled stockInside pages printed on 100% recycled stock


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Foreword

LSE has been famous for many things in its over 100 years of existence. But it is fair to say, that, until recently, the quality of its buildings was not among them.

Universities are, first and foremost, communities of scholars. Those communities can exist in a wide range of environments even, as LSE’s community did for some time, in a romantic and atmospheric slum!

But fashions change, and our expectations of the environment in which we work have risen. These days, students reasonably expect to be taught in classrooms and lecture theatres with leading edge information technology, and where they can easily hear and see the lecturer. Academics reasonably expect an office environment which is comparable with that enjoyed by their counterparts in other comparable occupations.

So it is imperative for LSE to upgrade its facilities. The first great leap forward was the construction of our new library, which has made a huge difference to the lives of everyone in the School community. The New Academic Building is our next major step. It sets a new standard for departmental accommodation – one which the Management and Law departments, and the Grantham Research Institute on Climate Change and the Environment are now enjoying, and it includes teaching rooms for use by everyone in the School which are radically better than anything else we have.

We are pleased with the way it has turned out. The quality could not have been close to what it is without the support of many donors whose names are listed in this brochure. We are grateful to them, and to everyone else who contributed to the success of what, for LSE, is a huge new venture. We hope you all enjoy the building as much as we expect to do.

Howard Davies, Director, LSE


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£1M+ Emirates FoundationVincent Cheng Wolfson FoundationLSE Annual Fund

£250,000-£999,999Sirivadhanabhakdi Foundation Samuel D IsalyMark E DenningGarfield Weston FoundationParaskevas Law FirmRadwans of AntiocSpyros and Vassiliki KarnessisSir Stelios Haji-IoannouEstate of Audrey Lambert

£100,000-£249,999David W HeleniakM R SafinThe Joseph and Lena Randall Charitable Trust and David A RandallProfessor Saw Swee HockJulian and Susan GreenLSE Friends and Family Programme

The London School of Economics and Political Science gratefully acknowledges the support of the generous individual, corporate and foundation donors to the development of the New Academic Building.

Supporting the New Academic Building

£50,000-£99,999Richard Karl GoeltzMalcolm CandlishAnthony Paduano and Ruth PoratAshley and Elizabeth MitchellNaomi Hass Perlman and George PerlmanEstate of Charlotte BlankAn anonymous donor

£25,000-£49,999Ralph OppenheimerDavid BrooksNigel P WilliamsHellenic LSE Alumni AssociationFriends of LSE in Hong KongMarkit Group LimitedGraham ShoreVirginia and LE Simmons Derek Green and Pamela (Evison) Green

£10,000-£24,999George DavidsonArne GroesDr Jakob HorderPaulo and Beatriz Pessoa de AraujoSwirski FamilyStiftung Stahlwerk GeorgsmarienhuetteGuy RigdenChristos SclavounisAn anonymous donor

Canadian donorsC Warren GoldringKenneth B RotmanDavid A ThompsonNesbitt FamilyWilliam Morneau

Malaysian donorsTan Sri Dr Munir A MajidNormah and Azman YahyaDato Lee Hau Hian and Datin Lee Li LiCarmen ChuaLSE Alumni Association of Malaysia

Persepolis donorsSam AlaAlireza ArouziMichel and Nousheen DanechiMahmoud FaghihiHoveyda FamilyMahnaz KamelArdavan Farhad MoshiriMansour and Fariba Namaki and FamilyAli and May RashidianMr Bagher Roohi and Dr Bejan RoohiReza Nader-SepahiPrince Abdol Hossein Mirza FarmanfarmaMassoumeh Tafreshi Farman-FarmaianDr Sabbar Farman-FarmaianZahra Jabbareh Farman-FarmaianSattareh Farman-Farmaian

Farough Farman-FarmaianAysheh (Homeyra) Farman-FarmaianDr Ghaffar Farman-FarmaianSoraya Farman-FarmaianHaroon Rashid Farman-FarmaianKhorshid Farman-FarmaianArdavan and Massoumeh Farmanfarmaian

Art in the Verdant AtriumElenchus/AporiaBy Joy Gerrard

Art at the exterior northwest cornerSquare the BlockBy Richard Wilson RA

These works were made possible through gifts from:Brian SmithMario FrancescottiAnna and Michael ZaouiDesmond LimEstate of Desmond WiltshawLSE Annual Fund


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The world’s leading social science institution

This brochure commemorates the opening of the New Academic Building – a landmark building for LSE – by Her Majesty The Queen accompanied by HRH The Duke of Edinburgh on 5 November 2008.

LSE studies the social sciences in their broadest sense, from economics, politics and law to sociology, anthropology, information systems, accounting and finance.

LSE was founded in 1895 by Beatrice and Sidney Webb, Graham Wallas and George Bernard Shaw. From that date, the School has aimed to be a laboratory of the social sciences, a place where ideas are developed, analysed, evaluated and disseminated around the globe.

It is a world-class centre of research. Its mission to connect with the ‘real world’ of government, business and public life in general makes it a special kind of university. LSE academics are frequently in the news, commenting on important public issues and staff or alumni have produced 14 Nobel Prize winners (in economics, peace and literature) while 31 past or present heads of state have studied or taught at LSE.

The NAB is the latest addition to an urban, city centre campus which hosts a cosmopolitan staff and student body. It draws students from almost every part of the globe – about 140 countries – and from all social, educational and ethnic backgrounds. There are currently around 8,500 full-time students, rising to about 9,000 by 2012.

There are over 1,400 full-time and over 1,300 part-time members of staff. About 45 per cent are from countries outside the UK. LSE staff advise governments, public

bodies and government inquiries, and are seconded to national and international organisations.

Some of the most influential figures in the world are attracted to LSE to give public lectures and speak at events. In recent years we have welcomed Kofi Annan, Tony Blair, Bill Clinton, Nelson Mandela, Mary Robinson, Javier Solana, Alan Greenspan, George Soros and many others. Nearly all these events are free and open to all.

LSE is part of a select global network of institutional partnerships with other universities of similar standing in Beijing, New York, Paris and Singapore. This allows it to offer joint teaching programmes that add to the School’s current portfolio, help academics sustain international research links, improve the dissemination of research internationally and attract different sources of research funding.

The School is in contact with around 90,000 alumni. The network extends around the world, with local alumni groups or contacts in over 70 countries, as well as special interest networks in areas such as law, environment and the media.

The employment prospects and earnings of LSE graduates are significantly above the UK average – one survey showed that students completing a first degree at LSE achieved the highest average starting salaries among UK universities.

However, it is primarily academic excellence and inspiration which continues to draw gifted students and researchers to LSE. The NAB provides the space for that tradition to continue for many years to come.

The NAB gives us a facility deserving of the academic excellence of LSE.

About LSE


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LSE’s New Academic Building odyssey began in 2004, when a ‘For Sale’ sign was spotted on the old Public Trustees Office on Kingsway originally built in 1915. Enquiries were made and following the necessary surveys a purchase deal was negotiated and concluded in the October. The re-development of the building then became a strategic plan priority with the target being to deliver the NAB on budget and in time for the Michaelmas Term 2008.

A nationwide advert for architects/design teams of suitable calibre was posted in the architectural press and following a rigorous selection process including a design competition and general plebiscite of staff and students, the award winning and internationally renowned Nicholas Grimshaw Architects were appointed in March 2005. The School appointed an in-house Planning and Development team to manage the project – the largest in the School’s history – from inception to completion.

Apart from the usual actors: architects, surveyors, and engineers the design involved co-operation across a whole host of disciplines including space consultants, fire engineers, acousticians, environmental consultants, party wall and rights to light surveyors and lawyers. The design team got straight to work developing their competition ideas into a more detailed design and specification.

Following a European-wide advert, Geoffrey Osborne Ltd were appointed as main contractor in July 2005. They worked alongside LSE to develop a detailed specification for construction. An application to the London Borough of Camden was made for Conservation Area Consent to demolish the interior of the building whilst retaining the facades and Planning Permission for the new works in September 2005. Building contracts were duly signed in Spring 2006 with work starting on 27 March 2006.

The first task was to strip the old building of redundant services, plant and asbestos. This was rapidly followed

by the demolition phase which involved some structural gymnastics to keep the facades of the building standing. The building was shrouded in scaffolding and protective sheeting which remained for the best part of 18 months. Behind this, serious demolition and construction was undertaken including the installation of new piled foundations, lift shafts and internal structure. In fact the whole internal façade is hung from a giant steel truss at the eighth floor level. The roof of the main lecture theatre was another structural feat, supported by a series of eight 17 tonne pre-cast beams each measuring 18.2m x 1m. These were individually lifted into place by a 500 tonne mobile crane without any major incident – high winds thankfully holding off until just after the last one was located.

‘Topping Out’ was celebrated in September 2007 and just over a year later the completed building was handed over to the School. On 19 September 2008 the move of academic departments into the building began with the first students being taught in the fabulous new surroundings on 6 October.

The NAB is intended to act as a benchmark for excellence in design, procurement and construction for future LSE capital projects. It has achieved a BREEAM ‘Excellent Rating’ for environmental sustainability and has targeted improved space-efficiency and the creation of an enhanced learning environment. The sustainability theme has been continued in the operation of the building with a zero-landfill waste management system.

The successful completion of this project on time, on budget and to a high quality is a credit to the whole design and construction team and is an amazing achievement. However this is only the start of an ambitious plan to transform the LSE Estate into a world-class university quarter.

Development of the New Academic Building

Facilities at NAB

l 4 lecture theatres including a 400-seater

l 16 seminar rooms and 2 IT teaching rooms

l Central atrium, café and retail spaces on ground floor

l Student social interactive space within the atrium

l Internet café and quiet study areas

l 5 floors of academic office accommodation

l Roof top pavilion with servery, 4 executive meeting rooms and terrace.


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Project team

Consultants:Architects – Nicholas Grimshaw LLPStructural Engineer – Alan Baxter AssociatesServices Engineer – Battle McCarthyQuantity Surveyor – Davis LangdonCDM Co-Ordinator – PH WarrSpace and Briefing Advisors – ZZAAcoustic Engineer – Arup AcousticsFire Engineer – FEDRA (Buro Happold)Rights to Light/Party Wall Surveyor – Gordon Ingram AssociatesBuilding Control – London Borough of CamdenMoot Court Architect – Architecture PLBEnvironmental/BREEAM Consultant – Rickaby ThompsonArchaeology – MolasSpace and Movement Consultant – Space SyntaxCatering Consultants – Tricon Foodservices Consultants PlcAV consultants – ARUP CommunicationsPublic Health Consultants – NLG AssociatesFire Consultants – Buro Happlod FEDRALandscaping Consultants – Randell SiddeleyLegal Advisors – Pinsent Masons LLPClerk of Works (Building) – John Burke AssociatesClerk of Works (Mechanical, Electrical and Plumbing) – Faber MaunsellCommissioning Consultants – DOMEProject Manager (construction) – Davis Langdon LLPProject Manager (overall) – Planning and Development, LSE Estates DivisionMoves Management – Planning and Development, LSE Estates Division

Contractors:Main Contractor – Geoffrey Osborne LtdDemolition and New Structure – McGee GroupStructural Steel and Staircases – Bourne SteelPrecast Lecture Theatre Beams – Thorpe PrecastMechanical and Electrical Services – Briggs and Forrester Engineering ServicesLifts – KONE plcCurtain Walling and Atrium Roof – English Architectural GlazingExternal Windows, Doors and Structural Glazing – Colorminium LtdRoofing and Mansards – T & P Lead RoofingFaçade Stonework – PAYE Stone RestorationsStone and Porcelain Flooring – City South ContractsCarpentry and Joinery – Ruddy JoineryPartitions and Ceilings – PAN InteriorsTimber Sounding Board and Reception Desks – James Johnson LtdStructural Glass Bridges – Roger Wilde LtdArchitectural Metalwork – Structural StairwaysEntrance Turnstiles – Boon Edam LtdLecture Theatre Seating – Auditoria Seating LtdAV Installation – Assysco LtdCatering Installations – Catershop LtdCarpet and Vinyl – Axiom GroupDecorations – Haselmere ConstructionMoot Court Fit Out – Sykes & Sons LtdRetail Unit Fit Out – H Peel & SonsSignage – Model Signs Ltd Furniture – Herman Miller/TsunamiInternal Artwork Installation – The Whitewall Company Ltd

Page 9 - NAB picture


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Since the establishment of legal studies as an integral part of LSE, the Law Department has pioneered the study of law in its political and social context. It is one of the largest departments in the School and has consistently achieved the highest rating in the Research Assessment Exercise. Much of the research undertaken in the department is interdisciplinary and the relocation of the department to a single building will afford more opportunities to cultivate research groupings. Proximity to one another will also help continue to develop the collegiality that is already a characteristic feature of the department.

Lincoln’s Inn Fields is one of the focal points for the legal profession in London and this new base reflects the connections that academic members of the department have with legal practice and policy. The department’s facilities in the New Academic Building include a bespoke moot court room, which will provide a home to LSE’s successful mooting team. That facility also offers the opportunity to run additional courses for practitioners and so bring together the academic and professional legal worlds.

Building on our lecture series on the Rule of Law and Law and Faith, we are also looking forward to making use of the NAB’s lecture spaces for future public events. Finally, this new home will provide a much more hospitable welcome to students, from undergraduate to PhD level.

Department of Law


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The Department of Management, established in the academic year 2006/07, unites four academic units at the School – Information Systems and Innovation, Employment Relations and Organisational Behaviour, Managerial Economics and Strategy, and Operational Research – into a single department. The objective is to create a world-class environment for multi-disciplinary research on management issues and there are ambitious plans to expand faculty and student numbers. The department’s mission is to become the premier management department in Europe, and one of the top departments in the world, in both teaching and research.

A number of exciting new teaching programmes are being offered by the department. The flagship degree is a two year MSc in Management, designed for students without work experience or an academic background in the field, to prepare them for the current managerial workplace. Other new degrees include an MSc in Management and Economics, an MSc in Public Management and Governance, and an MSc in Management, Organisations and Governance.

In terms of research, the department is building on existing strengths by developing fields that are currently largely underdeveloped at LSE such as strategy, marketing and organisational behaviour, as well as fostering multi-disciplinary research on particular themes or methodologies, eg, management in emerging markets, outsourcing and offshoring, as well as experimental analysis.

The department is honoured to be housed in the New Academic Building where both students and staff can enjoy its state of the art facilities. It is especially important that the four academic groups within the department are located together from their previous disparate locations. The establishment of a Department of Management has been a key element in the School’s strategy for a number of years and the move to the NAB was the crucial final step in its formation.

Department of Management


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Page 16 - NAB picture

The Grantham Research Institute on Climate Change and the Environment is the new umbrella organisation at LSE for research on climate change and the environment. The Institute is chaired by Professor Lord Stern of Brentford, author of the 2006 Stern Review, and directed by Professor Judith Rees. It brings together international expertise from across the social sciences to establish a world-leading centre for policy-relevant research and training in climate change and the environment. It will work in collaboration with the Grantham Institute at Imperial College to build linkages between the natural and social scientific study of climate and environmental change.

The Institute will house the new ESRC Centre for Climate Change Economics and Policy. This is a research partnership between LSE and the University of Leeds to advance climate change policy by improving both the evidence and the tools available to decision-makers. In addition it will be the home for the Alcoa Foundation Fellows, the climate research sponsored by Munich Re, the work previously conducted within the Centre for Environmental Policy and Governance and for PhD students working on climate and environmental issues.

The New Academic Building provides the first opportunity to bring together a critical mass of researchers and students to further our understanding of some of the most pressing environmental and economic development policy questions of today. It is highly appropriate that this first home is in a building with excellent ‘green’ credentials.

The Grantham Research Institute on Climate Change and the Environment


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The New Academic Building has been supported by alumni, friends, trusts and foundations, staff, parents, corporations and legacy gifts from more than 20 countries across the world. In total, LSE alumni and friends have contributed over £10 million of philanthropic support to the NAB, including 65 donors who have pledged gifts of £10,000 or more and four donors who have provided gifts of over £1 million.

The collective global support of alumni and friends through the LSE Annual Fund has made a significant contribution to the NAB with over £1 million allocated to name the Alumni Lecture Theatre.

Philanthropic support for the NAB also formed an integral part of the Campaign for LSE, which was completed last year. The Campaign for LSE raised £105 million and, in addition to supporting scholarships, teaching and research, transformed the LSE campus, with the Lionel Robbins Building, LSE Garrick, Student Services Centre, John Watkins Plaza, Old Building, SU Quad and halls of residence all benefiting from the generosity of alumni and friends. This support has provided contemporary teaching, study and social space and facilities at LSE.

However, this is just the start of LSE’s long-term vision and its strategic and philanthropic ambitions for the future development of the School.

As the pace of global change continues to accelerate, LSE’s contribution will become ever more important and the support of alumni and friends will be vital as we respond to these new challenges and worldwide developments.

Thank you to the many donors who have supported the NAB at all levels. Your support will provide extensive contemporary and flexible teaching and learning space at LSE and enable the School to extend an LSE education to even more talented students.

Thank you

The New Academic Building is perhaps the most

ambitious and significant enhancement of the LSE campus to date. Its size, location and architectural features and developments will enhance the School’s presence and connect with its surroundings. However, it will also provide the infrastructure to bring together previously fragmented departments and play a key role in the long-term strategic planning for the LSE campus.

Richard Karl Goeltz, General Course 1963, Development Committee, North American Advisory Board, and LSE Governor

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