East Ham Civic Campus by MICA Architects

East Ham Civic Campus in London, was presented at the AT Awards live finals on 20 September 2023 to a jury comprising Simon Allford, Esther Robinson Wilde, Ed Jarvis, Amin Taha, Patrick Bellew, and Chair Lee Mallett. Read about how the project has stood the test of time.

Credit: Philip Vile

Completed
2014 (CSC+L) 2014 (Newham Sixth Form) 2016 (Town Hall Refurbishment)

East Ham Civic Campus by MICA Architects has brought new life to the civic heart of this east London district, delivering sustainable new buildings, redeveloped existing structures, connected urban spaces, and improved public routes. The brief was to establish East Ham as a major civic presence within Newham, as well as returning a series of unused listed buildings to council use.

Phases one and two of the masterplan comprise a new-build Customer Service Centre and Library (CSC+L), and the transformation of the Old Technical College into Newham Collegiate Sixth Form (NCS). Both buildings have been designed to deliver high levels of spatial and servicing flexibility. Later phases of the development included the demolition of detrimental extensions to the Town Hall, and the construction of a new publicly-accessible extension to the Council Chamber.

Credit: Richard Chivers

Among the key challenges for the project team were ensuring that the new-build elements complemented the existing Edwardian architecture, and maintaining high levels of engagement with the local community and key stakeholders throughout the project’s complex multi-phased life.

A site-wide approach was taken to energy use with the integration of a new energy centre to help LBN reduce its energy consumption in line with the London Plan. A district heating system provides hot water and heating to several of the buildings on the campus with the opportunity to serve future developments. Other sustainable technologies employed on the scheme include thermally active building slabs (TABS), geothermal boreholes, and air source heat pumps.

The scheme’s many successes include facilitating greater local community involvement. This has been achieved through the provision of a café and adult education and skills centre in the refurbished Old Technical College, and an expansive public library that hosts a wide range of events in its atrium and café spaces.