Estates News Updates

The Capital Development team provide an update for recently completed and ongoing projects across campus in their latest newsletter (pdf).

As part of the ongoing constructions works at the Firoz Lalji Global Hub (FLGH) there are some planned crane lifts during the next two weeks that will necessitate the restriction, and sometimes closure, of the pavement on Portugal Street.

The lifting operations will take place on Wednesday 1 April, Thursday 2 April and Tuesday 7 April.  The pavement and areas marked on the image below will be closed from 8am to 12 noon on each day.

We apologise for the inconvenience this may cause, the works are not expected to be noisy.

If you have any concerns during these works, please speak directly to the traffic marshals on site, who will contact the site management team if required.

Gustafson Porter + Bowman (GPB) have been formally appointed to prepare landscape design proposals for the reimagination, pedestrianisation and landscaping of Portugal Street, which currently bisects LSE’s University Quarter.  The landscape architecture practice was named winner of the LSE design competition.

Design work is expected to start imminently, with completion of RIBA Stage 2 by the end of the summer. The first phase is expected to start on-site at the beginning of 2028.

The Estates Division would like to re-introduce the Building Managers (BM), including the newest members.  This newsletter (pdf) provides an update on the list of buildings that each BM is responsible for, together with contact details.

• BMs are each responsible for the care and upkeep of a group of buildings across Campus.
• They are the link between the various building users and the Estates Division. 
• They provide a quality customer-focused Facilities Management service to all stakeholders.

The Capital Development team provide an update for recently completed and ongoing projects across campus in their latest newsletter (pdf).

Access to the Sir Arthur Lewis building (SAL) via Portugal Street will be restricted at specific times during the coming weeks for safety reasons, due to scaffold installation at 35 Lincoln's Inn Fields.

22 January - 1 February 2026 - partial footpath closures 

2 February - 20 February 2026 - full closure of the footpath 

Please follow the alternative routes shown below to enter/exit SAL during these times.  

Portugal Street entrance will remain in use for fire evacuation purposes.

Thank you for your understanding and cooperation as we work to maintain a safe environment during these essential works.

McLaren Construction will be installing back propping to support 35 Lincoln's Inn Field scaffolding in Kinta Alley (SAL) between 1 and 2 December 2025. The temporary structure will be in place for 17-18 months. 

The propping will be enclosed within a hoarding, resulting in a loss of approximately 20m2 of space within Kinta Alley as indicated on the plan below.  Noise and dust will be kept to a minimum during the installation days.

Pedestrian access on Lincoln’s Inn Fields alongside the Firoz Lalji Global Hub at 35L will be restricted from Monday 17 November – Friday 5 December.

The pavement outside FLGH will be closed week commencing 24 November, and 1 December. During this time please follow the signage (as per image below) to stay safe during these essential works.

A similar system will be in operation on the Portugal Street side of FLGH weeks commencing Monday, 1 December, Monday 8 December and also on Friday 19 December, pedestrian diversion will be in place as illustrated below. 

Additional works to install a scaffold beam will necessitate the closure of SAL entrances and will therefore be conducted out of hours.

Apologies for the inconvenience and thank you for your cooperation.

For more information about the Firoz Lalji Global Hub project, visit the website

Four renowned landscape practices have been shortlisted for a design competition organised by the Estates Division Capital Development team.

The plan is to transform Portugal Street, to reflect and enhance LSE's reputation as a world-leading university. With particular attention to quality, extent and flexibility of spaces, access, navigation, circulation, sightlines, materials and amenities.

In line with LSE’s Estates Vision, the core objectives are:

• Continue to deliver a high-quality public realm within a distinctive LSE ‘university quarter’

• To create a vibrant and animated campus which enhances the student/staff and visitor experience, including active frontages, permeable ground planes and high-quality public realm.

The shortlisted designs will be on display in the Great Hall, Marshall Building from Tuesday 11 November to Friday 21 November 2025 and students and staff are encouraged to visit and vote for their preferred scheme.

An international competition to overhaul 61 Aldwych into a pioneering academic hub has been won by Feix&Merlin and Alison Brooks Architects.

The winning design will transform the 17,600m² building on the corner of Aldwych and Kingsway, providing a 'new front door' to LSE from Aldwych.  Find out more....

The Capital Development team have been extremely busy during the Summer period with projects on campus.  There are also many ongoing projects, so we thought it was a good time to provide an update in this newsletter (pdf)

The old BT direct dial number for the Emergency Estates Division Helpdesk 020 7831 8713 will cease to exist from 15 August 2025, although the short code (ext 2444) remains unchanged.  

With immediate effect please use 020 7955 6090 (ext 2444) to report any emergency issues.  The general enquiries number remains unchanged as 020 7955 7956 (ext 7956).

For all non-urgent requests we recommend you use the self-service portal. Using this method will allow both you and us to record and track your request in the most efficient way. 

LSE staff can also use the Planon App to raise Estates Jobs such as Maintenance and Portering requests from their mobile, and check on the progress of their requests.  Go to the App Store or Google Play and download the app called 'Planon' with a blue letter 'p' on a white background as the icon.  Instructions on how to install and activate the app are here....

The LSE Estates Division have achieved the ‘We invest in people Gold’ accreditation.

This incredible accomplishment is a direct result of everyone’s hard work and dedication.  The Investors in People assessment recognized this, and we're thrilled with this achievement.

It's a significant milestone, as only 28% of organisations achieve Gold accreditation, highlighting our strong culture of mutual support and commitment to making our workplace even better.  We're especially proud to be one of only two University Estates Departments in the UK to hold this prestigious recognition.

The We invest in people assessment gave us valuable feedback, we were especially delighted to hear that the vast majority of our people feel respected, valued and appreciated for the work they do. We're committed to continuous improvement and are using the feedback to develop recommendations and an action plan to drive further positive changes and keep moving forward.

Julian Robinson, Director of Estates added

“We are LSE’s largest Service Division with the most diverse staff who are valued by the School community. We are only as good as the people we employ and to have achieved this gold standard makes me incredibly proud. It is my privilege to lead this amazing team! Thank you to all Estates staff for the great work they do and to those who took part in the survey and interviews with the assessor and especially to Allan Blair, Jas Sidhu and Davinder Ratra for steering us through the very tough assessment." 

What do students think about the Estate? Evolving LSE's campus to meet students' needs

Studies on student perceptions of campus quality were undertaken in 2011, 2015, 2019 and 2023, and in 2012 research on what student aspirations for campus study space, were undertaken. Find out how the School addressed the complex challenge of evolving the campus to meet students' wants and needs.