Over the past year, the Property Division has transformed the old level 5 of the Sherfield Building. Initially, this meant opening up the space and developing a ‘Living Lab’ to trial modern, sustainable ways of working for staff. Now, it has been repurposed into a bespoke facility to house our Student Counselling and Mental Health Advice Service.
Below, we explore how this two-stage transformation was delivered at pace, with a strong focus on reuse, sustainability, and student wellbeing.
Where we came from - the old office layout
Our old office space on level 5 had served us well over the years, but it was ready for a makeover. The focus on long, bank-style desking and private offices – while functional – didn’t support a full variety of work styles and limited our ability to nurture a collaborative culture which gets the best out of teams and individuals. In short, the space wasn’t fulfilling its potential for staff, making it a prime candidate for redevelopment – and a great opportunity to trial new ways of working.
Central to the reimagining of the space was the removal of dedicated offices in favour of an open-plan layout. This literal removal of walls reflects our ambition to break down barriers to collaboration. We want to foster an open culture with a ‘one team’ philosophy – and an open physical environment plays a big part in making that happen.
The Living Lab - A platform for testing future ways of working
The phase one of level 5’s transformation began in 2024. The old, dated layout was removed, and the space was reconfigured into an open-plan environment. This project became known as the ‘Living Lab.’
The Living Lab was conceived as a prototype to explore what a modern, sustainable office could look and feel like for staff. Developed as a short-term trial, it allowed people to test different working arrangements, technologies and new ways of working ahead of the Professional Services move to the White City Hub in 2025.
Staff had the opportunity to trial furniture options, pod configurations, lighting systems, and environmental technologies in a real-world setting.
Key innovations included:
- Air Quality Monitoring: The ‘Butterfly Air’ sensor was developed and tested with Imperial. This system monitored temperature, humidity, dust, carbon dioxide and harmful chemicals, with real-time visual feedback supporting healthier indoor environments.
- Lighting Technologies: The trial featured human-centric lighting, light harvesting, and occupancy-based systems—all powered by ethernet to reduce energy usage and increase adaptability.
- Biophilic and Sustainable Materials: Acoustic wall art made from 100% recycled ocean plastic (PET), wood finishes, integrated planting, and sustainable flooring materials such as Marmoleum and recycled vinyl brought warmth and calm to the space.
- Reused and Modular Furniture: Over 90 pieces of reclaimed furniture were used, and modular Framery pods provided private spaces. These pods were hired for flexibility and then off-hired after the trial.
The Living Lab was well received by staff and offered valuable insights into the types of environments that can best support collaboration, wellbeing, and productivity in the future workplace. The feedback we received from staff – including high user satisfaction with meeting pods and biophilia – helped us tailor our White City Hub design to suit staff needs.
Repurposing with Purpose – A New Home for Student Counselling and Mental Health Advice Services
With the trial complete and Professional Services beginning their transition to the White City Hub, attention turned to a new priority: creating a suitable new space for Imperial’s Student Counselling and Mental Health Advice Service (SCMHAS).
A recent review identified environmental improvements that would enhance the suitability of spaces used for this critical service. Coupled with scheduled disruption to the Great Hall and other areas of Sherfield, the need for a new, calm, and private space to support SCMHAS became urgent.
With this in mind, the project team saw an opportunity to repurpose the Living Lab into a bespoke, student-focused environment—retaining its calm atmosphere and many of its sustainable design features. The result is a highly functional transformation, achieved at pace with minimal spend, and with a strong commitment to retain, reuse and repurpose where possible.
Key outcomes of the transformation include:
- New rooms: 11 acoustically soundproofed counselling rooms, all fully private and without vision panels, providing a confidential, secure and professional environment for students.
- Material retention: 80% of the timber panelling, all circulation flooring, and integrated planting were retained from the Living Lab, preserving its calming and biophilic design language.
- Lighting retention: Existing lighting systems were reused to continue trials into energy-efficient, human-centred lighting.
- Furniture retention: Furniture was almost entirely reused, combining items from the Living Lab with selected pieces from the former counselling service, including a reupholstered green bench now repurposed for the new space.
- Flooring retention: Any remaining flooring was returned to the manufacturer via a ‘circular economy’ recycling scheme.
The transition was delivered under tight timelines, with minimal disruption, and in close collaboration with SCMHAS to ensure student needs were at the centre of every design decision. The result is a welcoming, professional, and calm space that sets a new benchmark for student wellbeing environments at Imperial.
“Experiments like this help us make smart, evidence-based decisions that maximise value."
“What we learnt in this trial has been instrumental in helping us deliver a modern, user-focused student facility and an outstanding new Professional Services hub. Experiments like this help us make smart, evidence-based decisions that maximise value and impact across the Imperial estate.”
- Patrick Marsh, Chief Property Officer.
"It now feels like a designed space, rather than one that we made the best of."
"The new space for the Student Counselling and Mental Health Advice Service is a world away from its previous provision, despite being in the same building. Students now have a visible reception desk which allows us to welcome them into the service. Our practitioners have shared office spaces, which encourage collaboration and mutual support.
“The consultation rooms are bright, airy and suitably private. It was also extremely pleasing to be able to reuse many of the fittings and it now feels like a designed space, rather than one that we made the best of.
“The added bonus is that much of the service is now co-located with other student-facing services. This will improve the overall student experience and it has been fantastic to see staff so delighted at seeing their colleagues outside structured meetings.”
- Hannah Bannister, Director of Student Services.
This new service space is the first milestone of three planned phases across the year. By the end of September, the area will also house other student services including Disability Advice Service alongside Careers and the Student Hub. This continues the drive to bring key student support services together in thoughtful, sustainable, and accessible settings.
What’s happening at the Sherfield Building? Ongoing works
As part of the South Kensington Redevelopment programme, construction works are currently underway across the Sherfield Building, including the Great Hall and levels 3, 4 and 5. Guided by Imperial’s Great Environment vision, this programme aims to create world-class spaces that support innovation, collaboration, and sustainability.
To learn more about how we are transforming the Sherfield Building in line with our Great Environment ambitions, consult our web page.