London College of Fashion's new masterpiece shows concrete staying in style
The new London College of Fashion is a building which, as you might expect, is tailored to perfection.
For the very first time architects Allies and Morrison have brought all the university’s different schools under one roof in a new hybrid concrete building spanning 36,000m2 over 15 storeys.
Part of London’s East Bank Development in the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, the London College of Fashion (LCF) sits alongside excellent architectural company, with neighbours including Zaha Hadid’s Olympic Aquatics Centre and the all-new V&A East Museum.
What has been created represents the versatility and architectural possibilities of designing with concrete.
The building is arranged in zones, with different construction techniques used to meet the bespoke requirements of each. It combines in situ concrete on the lower floors with a spectacular curving concrete staircase rising from the basement up to the fourth floor as the standout feature. Precast concrete has been used on the upper floors featuring steel-encased-in-concrete columns and beams.
Sticking to its roots, the design of the building echoes the feel of a textile mill, with high ceilings and natural light. Large amounts of free space house an array of cutting tables and sewing machines, much like a factory.
The impressive precast-clad concrete exterior creates an industrial aesthetic for the modern day.
As the industry moves away from ‘fast-fashion’, crafting the new LCF building from long-lasting, resilient and sustainable materials was crucial. With a lifespan of over 100 years, it has specifically been designed for flexibility so that the building can be easily reused and adapted over time.
The approaches to the building’s structural design using lighter post-tensioned concrete slabs on the lower floors and GGBS in the concrete mixes means that the LCF is certified BREEAM Outstanding, exceeding the London Legacy Development Corporation’s target of reducing embodied carbon by 15%.
Alex Wraight, partner at Allies and Morrison, has noted that the LCF has been inspired by the concept of ‘slow fashion’, as well as university buildings from the mid-20th century: “The LCF itself champions the idea of slow fashion – that it is better, environmentally, to invest in long-lasting materials and designs to create clothes that will last. You can see from the way university buildings of the 1960s have aged that concrete just gets better and develops character over time. It’s got soul.”
A true feat of innovative design, the LCF has demonstrated that modern concrete architecture is still very much in fashion.