UCL at Here East
Creating a shared home for new ways of thinking and making.
I led the strategy, positioning and launch communications for UCL’s first joint site for the Faculty of the Built Environment and Faculty of Engineering.
Big idea.
UCL at Here East brought two faculties together in a shared 6,000-square-metre home for research, teaching, robotics, fabrication and experimentation.
It needed more than a new building identity. It needed a shared story: one that made the case for collaboration while respecting the distinct histories, disciplines and cultures of both faculties.
Simply told.
I led values workshops and stakeholder interviews to develop the site’s positioning, narrative and visual identity.
I shaped launch activity and commissioned a 3D paper model, a detailed digital scan and wayfinding materials to help people experience the scale, facilities and potential of the new site. I also helped make the space understandable and welcoming to its first internal and external audiences.
Lasting impact.
UCL at Here East established a coherent identity for the university’s first shared site for these two faculties, supporting collaboration across disciplines.
The 3D scan captured more than 11 billion data points, creating a lasting digital record of the site. As UCL’s first presence on Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, the launch also helped introduce the university to a new local community.
A new collaborative space for two faculties on the Here East site. To help visitors find the site, plywood letters were created to sit in the window. Photo credit: Jack Hobhouse.
The 3D virtual scan
A detailed digital replica was completed by ScanLab Projects capturing over 11 billion data points, which were assembled into the virtual model. Pascal Wise recorded sounds from the site which can be heard in the music over the scan.
The paper model
To help showcase the size of the space, a paper model was created by Helen Friel. Showcasing both levels of the site and the multidisciplinary nature, from lecture spaces to studios right through to fabrication spaces and even a parking space for SEAHA’s mobile heritage lab. Photo credits: Richard Stonehouse.
Environmental signage
Working with Boyle&Perks, a consistent system of way-finding was produced in vinyl alongside floor plans to help orientate people within the site. The vinyl used met the SKA rating for Higher Education. Photo credits: Boyle&Perks.
Positioning and visual identity
A bespoke illustration was commission by Boyle&Perks to bring UCL landmarks into the London skyline. Photo credit: Emma Todd.
Working with copywriter Kate van der Borgh a set of values and a manifesto was created. Photo credit: Emma Todd.
The manifesto was turned into a poster with the illustration on the reverse as a keepsake. Photo credit: Emma Todd.
The launch event
A private lunch was held for those who helped deliver this project before turning into an open house for all to come and see the site and wander around, getting a full sense of the scale of this collaboration. Photo credit: Richard Stonehouse.