This project transformed the entrance floor of the Social Sciences Building at City University London to improve the relationship between the interior and exterior.
The solid concrete wall on the south side was removed and glazed, and the resulting transparency allows connecting views between the central atrium and the existing square.
The building has become more legible and the experience of entering the building more attractive. The reception facility is now a welcoming desk, and there are comfortable spaces to wait, check e-mails or hold brief meetings.
Most importantly, Stanton Williams' powerful central atrium space, previously only seen from the narrow eastern elevation, is now much more directly connected to the approach and entrance sequence, and clearly visible from the improved public square.
The project also includes adaptations to upper floors to create more flexible teaching and learning spaces, which can be combined or separated to suit class and function sizes.
