Associated Architects marks the Practical Completion of the new London South East Colleges Greenwich Campus, a landmark further education building in the Royal Borough of Greenwich.
Delivered in collaboration with London South East Colleges, Kier Construction, Box Clever Consulting, Curtins and Stace, the £45m, five storey campus forms a key part of the wider Future Greenwich masterplan alongside partners including Royal Borough of Greenwich, Greater London Authority and L&Q.
At 5,500 sq. m, the new campus replaces outdated facilities with a flexible, digitally enabled learning environment designed in close collaboration with the College’s curriculum and timetable teams. The building increases Guided Learning Hours while strengthening the College’s civic presence on Plumstead Road.
The design is organised as two principal blocks of teaching to the north and south, divided by an atrium and expressive stair cores creating a clear and legible internal arrangement that supports both focused learning and social interaction. An open ground floor creates a strong visual connection across activity spaces and maintains an active frontage to the public realm. A central breakout space provides a vibrant heart to the building, linking café, learning resource centre, student support services, and communal study areas.
Sustainability has been fundamental to the project from inception. The completed building becomes one of the country’s only BREEAM Outstanding Further Education buildings. Environmental strategies include rooftop air source heat pumps, an efficient ambient loop heating and cooling system, and a bio-solar roof system. These measures, combined with high performance fabric, passive architectural interventions, and intelligent building systems, significantly reduce operational carbon while providing comfortable, healthy internal environments for students and staff.
The campus was delivered while maintaining ongoing college operations, demonstrating careful phasing, coordination, and collaboration across the project team. Beyond the building itself, the project contributes to the protection and strengthening of further education provision in the borough. Delivered through the Procure Partnerships Framework, the scheme has supported apprenticeship opportunities, tailored pathway courses and community initiatives during construction.
The result is a contemporary, sustainable campus that reflects a shared belief in what further education can achieve for people and place, providing a lasting asset for students, staff and the wider local community.
