LSE, Saw Swee Hock Student Centre

London, UK

‘Saw Swee Hock’ Student Centre is an RIBA Award winning multi-functional project that has transformed the LSE campus, providing contemporary and flexible social spaces and providing a new home for a variety of functions that include student support services (careers, accommodation, legal), recreational facilities (fitness centre, dance studio), two coffee bars and a pub, large multifunctional entertainment space for musical events, the chaplaincy, meeting rooms and the Students’ Union, accessible 24hrs a day.

The building’s environmental performance was a key project design driver, leading to it becoming the first academic development to achieve a BREEAM ‘Outstanding’ rating in the UK. Energy demand for heating and cooling has been minimized by incorporating a range of passive design strategies - the use of perforated brick walls as a shading screens, exposed thermal mass in most spaces and natural ventilation incorporated as the primary means of cooling to most functional areas, except those catering for large occupancy levels, such as the pub and large multi-purpose entertainment space in the basement.

Green and clean technologies include the integration of a gas CHP unit to meet the majority of the building’s hot water and space heating demand, creating the potential for future connection to a possible district heating network in the LSE campus, as well as integration of photovoltaic panels in the inclined roof elements.