Summer is always a busy period at Imperial, and nowhere is it more so than in our Property Division. Whilst students have been on summer recess, we’ve been busy improving our campuses.
Here’s a glimpse at what our Property Division has been up to…
The Queen’s Tower
This summer we completed the main body of renovation works at the Queen's Tower. The Grade II listed structure has undergone a significant and painstaking restoration covering everything from masonry on the York stone and carpentry in the bell tower, to the replacement work on its domed roof by some of the few remaining active coppersmiths in the country. The team is now hard at work removing some 300,000 feet of steel scaffold, scheduled to be down fully by January 2026.
Brand new copper for the dome at the top of the tower. Its shiny glow will turn green over time. Photos Dan Weill Photography.
The Great Hall
In addition to the Queen’s Tower, work on another of Imperial's famous buildings kicked off in April. The Great Hall – originally opened in 1969 – has played host to world-leading lectures and seminars, political debates, sports events, rock acts and even wrestling shows.
A centrepiece of Imperial life for the over 50 years, the hall was in need of a redevelopment to meet the evolving needs of today’s Imperial community. The complex project sees the Great Hall’s entire layout rendered flexible, allowing it to be used in multiple floor configurations depending on event requirement.
Acoustic and décor upgrades and AV integration are also central features to this project, as well as improving pedestrian flow in the vicinity surrounding the hall.
A render showing the Great Hall in full event mode. Burwells Architects.
170 Queen’s Gate
We’ve been working carefully to upgrade 170 Queen’s Gate, a Grade II listed building. Last year saw the completion of ‘phase one’ works on the building, which included extensive refurbishment and improvements to the décor, including the addition of newly commissioned paintings celebrating staff and alumni.
‘Phase two’ - which is now being completed following the granting of planning permissions - sees the ground floor and levels 1 and 2 of the 1888 building made fully accessible through the installation of lifts. A new commercial kitchen has also been added, enabling us to host catered events.
The Drawing Room in 170 Queen’s Gate following refurbishment. Photo: Imperial.
The transformation of Sherfield Building
A significant programme of work has recently been carried out across levels 3, 4 and 5 of the Sherfield Building. These areas have benefitted from a comprehensive body of work involving significant investment over the past 20 weeks, and form part of Imperial’s Great Environment vision - which aims to create world-class spaces that support innovation, collaboration, and sustainability.
The programme includes the construction of three lecture theatres, the creation of additional study and social spaces, and the co-location of key student-facing services providing a more streamlined and supportive experience for our community.
Improvement works to the Sherfield Building will now continue with an upcoming feasibility study scheduled to understand how we can reimagine levels 1 and 2 – and the Sherfield Walkway - for our community.
Imperial President Hugh Brady and Imperial College Union President Nico Henry being shown around the finished space. Photo: Imperial. See full photo album of the space on our Asset Library.
Trial borehole on Queen’s Lawn
Some of you may have noticed the recent brief appearance of industrial machinery on the Queen's Lawn, with the associated drilling playing a key part in the development of our future energy strategy.
Engineers drilled down to around 250 metres (more than three times the height of the Queen’s Tower). A continuous loop of pipework was installed to measure how much heat we can draw from the ground. Early estimates suggest this could generate around 4MWh of low-carbon heating and 2.6MWh of cooling each year across the South Kensington Campus. This short trial will finish within October 2025, after which the lawn will be fully restored.
Results from the borehole exploration will then be carefully analysed to determine whether the ground below South Kensington campus is viable for installing this energy-saving ground source heat pump technology. Please email the Sustainability Hub with any questions about the exploration.
Drilling equipment erected on the Queen's Lawn to facilitate the borehole, with the Queen's Tower in the background. Photo: Imperial.
A bridge to better things
We have also constructed a new dedicated pedestrian bridge from Wood Lane onto our White City Campus, which joins the road traffic bridge we opened in this location last year. This new bridge offers a safe path for pedestrians and cyclists from Wood Lane to our White City Campus.
Click the image below to see a timelapse video of the bridge's construction.
South Kensington Main Entrance (and Dalby Court doors)
As the main thoroughfare into our South Kensington campus, the replacement of our main doors was deliberately scheduled outside of term time to minimise disturbance. The job saw our old doors replaced with a brand new, fully accessible entranceway, complete with the addition of a foyer. The new entrance is a larger version of the doors installed on Dalby Court earlier this year, and was completed and reopened in time to welcome prospective students at our September Open Day.
Ex Libris café and Burlington Danes Mezzanine
At Hammersmith Hospital Campus, our well-loved Ex Libris café has also seen change. Across June and August, the area was completely refitted and redecorated, creating a brighter, more welcoming environment which now boasts enhanced food and drink offerings. Ex Libris also now offers bar service in the evenings, providing a relaxing space to enjoy a drink with friends.
Beyond this, the campus has also experienced a complete refurbishment of Burlington Danes Mezzanine, providing a more open and relaxing space for colleagues, with the extra addition of new furniture installed on the adjacent balcony area.
Introducing Pizza Pi and Rasa Kitchen
Beyond this, we’ve been busy looking at other Taste Imperial outlets, bringing more exciting eating and drinking options to our campus. This includes welcoming Pizza Pi, our tasty new Italian pizzeria, to the Sherfield Walkway. Pizza Pi has now been joined by Rasa Kitchen, a flavoursome new Malaysian option.
Installing a robotic 3D printer at Skempton Building
Works in the Skempton Building have allowed for our Engineering department to install a state-of-the-art AI-operated robotic printer, for use in welding and arc additive manufacturing. This new facility supports pioneering research, offering a unique platform for groundbreaking studies and advancements in metal 3D-printing technology. This initiative not only contributes to Imperial's research capabilities but also establishes a leadership position in the broader field of metal 3D printing.
Beit Quad Regeneration
The transformation of Beit Quad was a community-focussed effort to create a more welcoming environment for our students and staff. Created with endorsement from – and in consultation with – Imperial College Union, this project saw soft landscaping implemented and over 60m² of new trees, shrubs and perennials planted. The quad has also been framed at either end with bespoke, sweeping wooden benches, perfect for socialising.
Improvement works to 37 en-suite bedrooms at Beit Quad – as well as associated communal kitchens – were also completed in time for the new academic year, with phased work to upgrade the West Block set to continue throughout the year.
Drinks reception at Beit Quad after redevelopment. Photo: Imperial.
Ethos Sports Centre
Our central sports centre Ethos has also been getting a facelift this summer, with investments in improving the décor and facilities and rendering walls with the fresh new Move branding.
Render showing how new brand is likely to be applied in Ethos. Please note: not final version.
Renovation of The Works and MSRH café
The Works is now closed for a major refurbishment, reopening during the week commencing 17 November. The transformation will create a brighter, more comfortable space and enable Taste to offer an upgraded menu, enhancing the social and dining experience for the White City Campus community and visitors alike.
At MSRH, the mobile café will also and transformed into a bespoke social space suitable for flexible collaboration and socialising.
Human Anatomy Unit
The Human Anatomy Unit at our Charing Cross Hospital Campus recently received an upgrade to its ventilation systems, with work taking place across two phases and completing in September 2025. This project focused on installing new air extract systems which greatly improve safety for people using the facilities. The work took place across three rooms which are used for teaching anatomy to undergraduate and postgraduate students, and well as for the continued professional development of surgeons.
Interestingly, due to a pair of peregrine falcons currently nesting in the roof of the unit, a licence was required to run ducts on the outside of the building (on the adjacent roof), so as to avoid disturbing the birds.
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As things progress, we won’t be slowing down. Our teams will continue to focus our efforts across many areas such as lecture theatre upgrades, works to bathroom facilities bringing more greenery across our estate.