The Royal College of Art (RCA) in London has announced plans for a renewal of its Kensington campus. Part of this revamp includes a revitalisation of its Grade II-listed Darwin Building, which will be adapted to meet the needs of a modern teaching environment.
Alongside the Darwin Building, the new plans will also reinstate the 1851 Place entrance facing the Royal Albert Hall. The result aims to provide a visually striking entryway to the campus and reconnect the renowned arts school with Exhibition Road, which is home to the Victoria & Albert Museum, the Science Museum, and the Natural History Museum.
Explore the Royal College of Art’s future plans
The project is led by Witherford Watson Mann Architects – one of the 2025 RIBA Stirling Prize shortlisted practices – and works are expected to commence in 2025. The firm’s plan is to create a thoughtful balance of conservation and transformation, meaning heritage is preserved but sensibly updated to remain accessible for future generations of students.
The cost of the restoration, until its predicted completion in 2032, is estimated at £90 million. This marks a large investment in the future of the RCA, part of a plan that includes longer-term savings through increased energy efficiency and consolidated campuses.
The idea to renew the RCA was an organic decision, which felt only natural for the world’s number-one university for art and design (for 11 consecutive years according to QS World Rankings, 2025). The school is dedicated to offering facilities that enable its students, staff and alumni to continue undertaking innovative work for decades to come.
The project means the school will be able to create new teaching and learning spaces, modernise studios and workshops, and improve the building’s overall accessibility, including step-free access and more open areas. There will also be a new café, a gallery and event spaces that will encourage wider public engagement.
‘This project represents a major investment in the future of the Royal College of Art,’ says professor Christoph Lindner, the RCA president and vice-chancellor. ‘With the renovation of our historic Kensington site, the RCA will once again operate from two central London campuses – Kensington and Battersea – bringing our community together with a new creative energy, driving cross-disciplinary exploration, with dynamic spaces to innovate, question and discover.’
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