Queen’s Lawn

Queen’s Lawn is the heart of the campus and a much loved green space used throughout the year. Our consultation highlighted Queen’s Lawn and Queen’s Tower as the most liked elements of the campus. Already the university has taken steps to open up Queen’s Lawn through removing the hedge to improve visual connections. Further steps can be taken to strengthen this space as the centre of the campus.

Sherfield Walkway and Links

The Sherfield Walkway is the main spine of the campus. It connects east and west from the Main Entrance from the east to the Sherfield and Huxley buildings. It is located one storey above natural ground and is cut into the first floor of the Sherfield Building. The Walkway is overcrowded at peak times in the morning and at lunch. Connections to the Queen’s Lawn are congested. Ideas to improve the Walkways include upgrading the surface finishes; opening up adjacent spaces to the Walkway thereby allowing better visibility and access to building entrances and common workspaces; and even creating an entirely new street by aligning the Walkway.

Dalby Court

Dalby Court is the largest paved outdoor space in the South Kensington campus. It is a significant space at the crossroads of pedestrian movement east-west from the Main Entrance to Sherfield and north-south from the Royal School of Mines to the Faculty Building and beyond. The space can be improved by improved finishes, lighting and wind mitigation along with a new pavilion, outdoor furniture and soft landscaping.

Imperial College Road

Imperial College Road is a tree lined boulevard and also a public right of way through the campus. Once the address of the Imperial Institute and the Royal College of Science, it now connects Exhibition Road to Queen’s Gate with the Queen’s Lawn at the midpoint. It is currently dominated by vehicles and parking. The vision focusses on creating a sense of arrival into the campus with a feeling of welcome. This could involve high quality paving for a shared surface to support a public realm prioritising pedestrians and can cater for college events such as the Imperial Festival or the weekly farmers’ market.

Main Entrance

The Main Entrance is an important point of arrival for visitors and the college community. Its architectural style gives the College a sense of status befitting its reputation on Exhibition Road. The entrance doors and internal circulation complicate its easy use and restrict access. The future vision involves creating a welcoming entrance with visitor reception and street presence on Exhibition Road to communicate to the public the exciting research and teaching within by exhibiting material onto the street by opening up frontages.

Chemistry 1&2

Refurbish the Chemistry Building as shared labs with common space opening onto Queen’s Lawn

Sherfield Building

Refurbish Sherfield Building proving activity that opens out onto Queen’s Lawn and Sherfield Walkway

Main Entrance Expansion

Future development opportunity for additional teaching space

RCS1

New entrance pavilion with common space opening up to Imperial College Road

North West Quarter (New Space)

Future development opportunity for more teaching space

North West Quarter (North Route)

New pedestrian route from Queen’s Lawn to Beit Quad

North West Quarter (Great Hall Square)

Open the refurbished Great Hall out onto a new public square

Bessemer and Royal School of Mines

Improved pedestrian link from Dalby Court to Prince Consort Road