A warehouse of ideas, a labyrinth of interlocking volumes, layers of welcome joining community and university, Town House came into existence born of Kingston University’s progressive educational vision. In this building, sound and silence, exuberant dance and individual focus, unusual adjacencies apart and together were asked to co-exist. In fact, the brief called for more than 50% of open spaces. With a recognizable profile, an asymmetrical volume defined by prefabricated concrete frames, the building is a gate to the campus and suggests the open and participatory character expected from a university today. An outer skin of colonnade wraps the building, acting as a protective membrane, fire escape route, balcony, solar protection device, garden, and outdoor study area. Inside, after crossing the threshold, a grand staircase welcomes students. The main collective space of the building, called The Courtyard, is an open, forum-type auditorium which faces outwards and connects visually upwards and through other spaces. Active mechanical servicing was employed only where essential, and environmentally passive strategies were prioritized to ensure a comfortable thermal, visual, and acoustic environment.

Stirling Prize 2021. The Guardian. ‘It sounded crazy’: palatial six-storey hymn to social interaction is Britain’s best new building