RCA Battersea South Campus is a proposal by Lacaton & Vassal for Royal Academy of Arts in 2016. It is located in London United Kingdom in an urban setting. Its scale is large with a surface of 19.753 sqm. Key materials are concrete glass and metal. Concepts such as greenhouse ramp and structural praise are explored. Review the 2 proposals for the same competition.
The project aims to create spaces for uses, spaces to live, to study, to work… To create the margin of freedom and space, essential for uses and appropriation, our goal is to enlarge widely the surface of the programme in order to provide more space. A primary open and economical structure with a large capacity is installed on the site, from the basement up to 16,80 m above the ground (20,30 m on the South). It generates a system of floors and a superposition of spaces of 6.50 metres high, partly occupied by light structures of mezzanines and put in continuity by gently sloping planes. It offers a significant appropriable surface, programmed or free, whether single or double height, with various climates and ambiances, up to the large terrace on the roof, open for installations, events, etc. 19.753* m2 of surface are created for a required programme of 15.000 m2 within the same budget. The building, open to its surroundings and transparent, invites to observe its activity. * gross area, non included the terrace on the roof and ramps (4.955 m2)