Kingston University's campus has undergone a major transformation with the launch of a new state-of-the-art teaching building.

The £50 million landmark Town House development has reached completion, bringing 9,403 square metre of teaching space to the university.

Contractor Willmott Dixon delivered the six-storey building on Penrhyn Road to replace an outdated, temporary building.

The facility boasts a multi-floor library, archive, open auditorium, dance studios and a studio theatre, as well as a range of informal learning spaces and two publicly accessible cafés.

Commenting on the new building, Professor Steven Spier, Vice-Chancellor of Kingston University, said: "Town House will not only provide much needed structured and informal learning for students, but will be a building for the whole community to use. A world-class building of this kind sends a strong signal to our students, staff and the higher education sector of the value of what Kingston University does. Grafton Architects' interpretation of our design brief, along with Willmott Dixon's commitment to ensuring it was brought to life, will ensure the building's presence helps dissolve the boundaries between the University and the Royal Borough of Kingston."


As with all large university projects, Town House was modelled to BIM Level 2 protocols, with much of the building constructed from precast concrete.

In a nod to its surroundings, it also includes a traditional hand-laid full brick finish to panels across the exterior elevations and sections of reconstituted stone, carefully chosen to reflect the Portland stone of Surrey County Hall across the road.

Town House is rated BREEAM Excellent for its many sustainability features which include a photovoltaic array, a large sustainable urban drainage system (SUDS), a thermally active building system (TABS) for underfloor cooling, multiple brown roofs and two roof gardens.

This also represents another example of Willmott Dixon's track-record in the university sector, which has seen projects completed at the University of Kent, Bournemouth University and more.

(CM/MH)