We opened our new building, the Graduate Centre, between Geography Square and Bancroft Road area on the Mile End campus, in January 2017.
The seven-storey building includes 7,700 square metres of new learning and teaching space. In addition to being the home for the School of Economics and Finance, the Doctoral College and the Research Degrees Office are located in the building. The Graduate Centre also provides work areas and social spaces tailored specifically to the needs and working patterns of our postgraduates.
Principal Professor Simon Gaskell comments: “Alongside my fellow staff members and our students, I have watched the Graduate Centre take shape over the past two years and I’m thrilled that this innovative learning and teaching space is now open for use. It will be a wonderful place to work and study, and provides a much-needed focal point for our graduate activities.”
The £39m building was completed in late 2016. It offers:
- An impressive 200-seat lecture theatre and numerous seminar rooms
- 7,700 square metres of new learning and teaching space including a ‘mock trading floor’
- A new landscaped courtyard
- New trees, planting, green walls and areas of greenery
- A ground floor café, with seating inside and out
A new Energy Centre in Geography Square and relocated substation on Bancroft Road were also part of this project, providing a more efficient and sustainable source of energy to buildings on campus. Combined heating and power (CHP) will service the Graduate Centre and other buildings on campus in order to facilitate a more efficient and sustainable energy strategy.
Features and spaces
Ground Floor: As well as the beautiful foyer reception area, there is the 200-seat Peston Lecture Theatre and Café Grad serving Starbucks coffee.
First Floor: Postgraduate seminar rooms
Second Floor: Seminar rooms as well as home to the Doctoral College and the Research Degrees Office.
Third to Fifth Floors: Home of the School of Economics and Finance, including a 60-seater seminar room, new computer lab and the Bloomberg trading lab. There is also a new open-plan office for teaching assistants, and academic offices.
Sixth Floor: Seminar rooms – including a lecture theatre in a horse-shoe (Harvard-style) layout. This floor also has four open-plan offices for research centres and an open-plan group study area for our postgraduate students.
Seventh Floor: Postgraduate reading room and 2 group study rooms. There is also a new postgraduate common room, which opens out onto a wooden deck terrace area with stunning views of Canary Warf and the City.
