Member Article

King’s College London begins £35m refurb at former BBC World Service HQ

Fit out and refurbishment company Overbury has begun work on the £35m refurb effort at King’s College London’s Bush House buildings, following the university’s acquisition of Aldwych Quarter.

The extensive programme of refurbishment will see the creation of new teaching spaces, study areas, offices and a new students union across three buildings on site, including Bush House, which formerly housed the BBC World Service, Kings House and Strand House.

King’s is currently leasing five buildings at the historic quarter which will complement its Strand Campus nearby.

Overbury’s work on three of those buildings will eventually result in the addition of a new 400-seater auditorium, event space and health centre as well as other amenities, with 300,000 sq ft of academic and student facilities at Bush House alone.

Bob Banister, Overbury Managing Director in London, commented: “These landmark buildings require an extensive redevelopment to help meet King’s expansion plans and create a space in keeping with their ambitions to compete on a global stage for students and academics alike.

“We have a long-standing relationship with King’s, and understand its values and expectations and having recently finished phase one works in Bush House, which is now occupied, we’re working with the team to ensure the programme of works is delivered on time with minimal disruption.”

Frank Rogers, Project Director at King’s College London said: “Bush House buildings will create a vibrant and dynamic campus in the heart of London by uniting two prime central London locations, the Aldwych and our historic Strand campus.

“We are delighted that Overbury is continuing to work with us in bringing forward state-of-the-art education and research facilities which will further enhance our standing as a leading global university.”