Education
University of the West of Scotland
Transforming student experiences with a satellite campus for UWS in East London
2 Floors
11 Week Programme
30,000 Sq Ft
The Challenge
Creating a dynamic new teaching facility for business students of UWS, at a brand-new satellite campus in East London.
The Solution
Drawing on the corporate surroundings to inspire students to their future careers, we created a series of flexible spaces for teaching, collaboration and communication amongst students and teachers.
The Result
Such was the success of the initial space that it attracted record student numbers and the university elected to take on an additional 25,000 sq ft space next door, which we also did the design and fit-out for.
At East India Docks, overlooking Canary Wharf, we worked with the University of the West of Scotland to create a brand-new learning environment for business students, featuring a series of flexible spaces for teaching, collaboration and communication.
Seeking to expand their offering as well as attract more students from different parts of the UK and around the world, the University of the West of Scotland (UWS) decided to locate a satellite campus at East India Docks overlooking Canary Wharf.
They chose the location where many aspire to work, knowing that it not only opens a whole new market for them, but it also diversifies the student experience, placing them in the heart of an area where people seek to work in after they graduate.
Success and expansion
The newly expanded campus featured two projects. The first is a next generation learning space on the seventh floor of the impressive innovation campus, the Import Building. They chose to work with Maris because of our forward-thinking approach, our rapid turnaround capabilities, our knowledge of the location, and our cross-sector experience both in higher education and commercial property.
Within a year of completion, the new space had attracted record student numbers, so the university chose took on additional 25,000 sq. ft next door. This second space added further teaching space as well as a library at the Export Building. The building is the latest addition to the East London location, complete with nine floors wrapped around an impressive full-height central atrium and facing an impressive water garden. Once again, they chose to work with Maris.
A new way of learning
The design of the spaces needed to honour the UWS award-winning Lanarkshire campus just outside Glasgow, which is known for being one of the UK’s greenest educational environments. Crucially, the layout, style and facilities needed to reflect the university’s forward-thinking nature, away from didactic teaching patterns and towards a more collaborative, peer-to-peer approach.
As the spaces focused on the university’s business courses, the location overlooking the famous hub of business at Canary Wharf, made perfect sense. Therefore, we designed the space around the look and feel of a corporate office, reminding students that this is an experience that’s about their future, recognising that they are adults, no longer at school.
Alongside panoramic views of London Docklands, we created technology-rich, flexible breakout and study spaces that encourage interaction and collaboration. Student lounges, library areas and lecture rooms are connected by clear pathways, while a variety of seating areas give people options on where and how to work as it suits them.
The future of higher education
Attracting students from around the world and receiving positive feedback from day one, the UWS’s East London campus is the perfect example of how modern universities can transform the learning experience to meet the wants and needs of contemporary students. The result is an environment that feels relevant to their career prospects, both enabling and inspiring them to learn better.