Royal Central School of Speech and Drama - North Block Building, Swiss Cottage

Tim Ronalds Architects for The Royal Central School of Speech and Drama
Contract value: £10.9m 
GIA: 2,260m² 
Cost per m²: £4,823

The school’s new block provides a nine-storey, 2200m² addition to its Swiss Cottage campus. On a tight urban site adjoining 19th century Regency villas and the busy Finchley Rd, the new building addresses these different scales and styles. The rendered exterior is classically proportioned, with larger ground level openings offering views inside. The concrete frame structure is exposed internally, with brick and timber panel infills giving the building a robust but warm feel. Five, stacked, teaching studios each have a different character to meet specific technical requirements. Studios nestle in the centre of the site to shield them from ambient noise; smaller scale teaching spaces, offices, and meeting and dressing rooms face the streets on two sides.

See the rest of the London shortlists here. And all the RIBA Regional Awards shortlists here.

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