Bankside House Redevelopment

LSE, in partnership with Equitix and Bouygues UK, has secured planning approval for the redevelopment of Bankside House. The project will deliver 1,945 student bed spaces in central London, significantly expanding the School’s accommodation offer and supporting students with access to affordable, high-quality housing.

The new development marks a major step towards LSE’s 2030 strategy commitment to provide 6,000 bed spaces and guarantee accommodation for all first-year students. Currently, around 60% of LSE’s 12,000 full-time students live in private housing due to limited availability of School-managed residences.

All rooms at the redeveloped Bankside House will be offered at sub-market rents. The scheme is also designed to benefit the wider community, featuring a publicly accessible Community Hub, Community Classroom, event spaces, an LSE-run café, and enhanced public realm connections linking Bankside with Sumner Street and the Tate Modern.

Designed by Carmody Groarke and Sheppard Robson, the scheme will replace the existing building with three stepped towers of 24, 26 and 28 storeys, alongside landscaped courtyards and low-rise pavilions that integrate with the surrounding area. The development prioritises sustainability, targeting BREEAM Excellent standards, very low operational energy use, and a whole-life carbon approach. Construction aims to divert more than 99% of waste from landfill and incorporate at least 20% recycled or reused materials.

Julian Robinson, Director of Estates at LSE, said:
“This is the culmination of a ten-year engagement with the borough on the redevelopment of our Bankside residences. Working with the Southwark team we have crafted an affordable, sustainable and high-quality design which will make a significant contribution to the borough. The scheme’s civic offer is incredibly strong with genuine public access and community uses integrated within the building and we can’t wait to see LSE’s world class estate extended south of the river.”

Ian Spencer, Director of Residential and Catering Services at LSE, added:
“LSE’s aim is to guarantee an offer of accommodation to all new, first-year students. Securing planning permission for Bankside House is a major step forward towards our goal. Our team are extremely excited about the new scheme and what it will mean for LSE students. I’d like to take this opportunity to thank the officers and Councillors in Southwark who have been so supportive of our vision for the site.”

Oliver Campbell, Managing Director of Development at Bouygues UK, said:
“Securing planning permission for Bankside House is a landmark moment for Bouygues Development and Bouygues UK and for the student accommodation sector in London. In partnership with the London School of Economics and Equitix, we’ve developed a scheme that puts affordability, sustainability, and community at its core. We’re proud of the role we have had in bringing this project from concept to consent and we look forward to delivering a building that will stand as a genuine piece of civic architecture for generations to come.”

Hugh Crossley, CEO of Equitix, commented:
“Bankside House represents a new benchmark for socially impactful investment in central London and the London School of Economics’ role as an international centre of excellence. Securing planning approval is an important milestone for the project for all partners. Working alongside Bouygues and LSE, we remain committed to creating affordable, high-quality student accommodation that will support the university, its students and the wider community for many years to come.”

Construction is expected to begin in 2027, with the new Bankside House scheduled to open ahead of the 2032 academic year.

For more information please read the Bankside House Planning Approval Press Release.

LSE, together with partners Equitix and Bouygues UK, has submitted plans to transform Bankside House into a best-in-class student residence providing 1,944 bed spaces in the heart of London’s cultural quarter. 

Designed by competition-winning team Carmody Groarke and Sheppard Robson, the scheme replaces the mid-century office-turned-residence with three stepped towers of 24, 26 and 28 storeys linked by two low-rise pavilions around generous, landscaped courtyards and extensive public realm integration.  

The planning application has been submitted to the London Borough of Southwark, with determination expected early next year. Subject to approval, works on site will be due to commence in 2027, with the new Bankside House scheduled to open before September 2032.

LSE and development partner Bouygues UK and Equitix, are bringing forward proposals to redevelop the Bankside House student residence.

Our aim is to provide additional high-quality student accommodation (all below market-rates), alongside active ground floor uses and improvements to the surrounding public realm.

We are committed to engaging with the local community throughout the lifecycle of the project. We will be holding public exhibitions on Thursday 28 November 5pm - 8pm and Saturday 30 November 11am - 2pm at Bankside House, 24 Sumner Street London SE1 9JA.

If you are unable to make our exhibitions all the information displayed will be made available here from Thursday 28 November 2024 at 5pm.

A joint submission by architects Carmody Groarke and Sheppard Robson is the winning scheme for LSE's ‘Bankside’ competition, delivering affordable student accommodation with development partner Bouygues UK and Equitix. 

The architectural partnership was amongst a shortlist of six competition teams and has been chosen to take their designs forward to deliver what aspires to be the ‘best university halls of residence in London’. There will be a particular design emphasis on sustainability, health, student wellbeing and affordability. 

Taking the place of the existing Bankside House student accommodation building located behind Tate Modern, the design is developed around the idea of three ‘houses’. The accommodation will target a provision of up to 2,000-beds, grouped into three communities of around 650 students, housed in individual buildings. The three ‘houses’ are connected at the lower floors and via garden terraces. 

The creation of three blocks and the distribution of social and amenity space within each building aims to break down student numbers into manageable clusters, helping the formation of communities and providing a ‘sense of home’ in each. 

Carmody Groarke and Sheppard Robson’s winning design carefully considered the brief in a stand-out way whilst offering flexibility and the opportunity to provide an efficient space that still satisfies the full brief. 

With one front door ‘welcoming all’, orientated towards both the LSE campus and Tate Modern, the design strengthens the connections between key institutions whilst leaning on a ‘living room’ entrance concept and creating an environment that prioritises a positive living experience with comfort and convenience. 

The scheme set targets of Passivhaus certification and LETI standards as well as WELL Standard and BREEAM Outstanding, which will be developed in the next stages of design. 

Architectural Design Competition Public Exhibition

The six designs presented by the shortlisted teams will be on display in the Marshall Building, Great Hall from Wednesday 13 March to Friday 15 March 2024.

Staff, students, alumni, governors and other visitors are all invited to visit the exhibition and provide feedback on the entries.

The material is deliberately anonymous so that each proposal can be judged solely on its design merit.

Your thoughts will provide an important steer for the jury panel which will select the winning design at the end of March 2024 and will help to shape the direction we take.

For more information and for a link to the feedback form (which will only be open for the duration of the exhibition) see the attached (pdf) 

Architectural shortlist for Bankside House redevelopment design competition announced by LSE

LSE, alongside development partners, Bouygues UK-Equitix consortium, announced the shortlist for an architectural competition for the redevelopment of Bankside House in Southwark, London.

Equitix and Bouygues UK undertook a prequalifying exercise with a mutually agreed longlist of architects in late 2023 during their successful tender, and will work with LSE to maximise the potential of the site and prepare a planning application for submission to London Borough of Southwark in 2025.

The firms shortlisted for the Bankside redevelopment competition, here in alphabetical order, are:

• AHMM
• Allies and Morrison
• Carmody Groarke and Sheppard Robson
• COBE (DNK) and TP Bennett
• RSHP with Tigg Coll
• SOM (Skidmore, Owings and Merrill)

“This location will require a piece of world class architecture which will meet the ambitions of both LSE and Southwark. The calibre of this shortlisted a testament to each studio’s exceptional design and delivery standards- each in their own design language.

The partnership with our development managers with such extensive sector specific knowledge is set to deliver a landmark building and raise the bar in the provision of affordable student accommodation in the city”, says Julian Robinson, Director of Estates, LSE.

The competition is due to commence in late January, with a core team in place by April this year. 

The jury panel will comprise Julian Robinson (Director of Estates), Professor Ricky Burdett (Director of LSE Cities), Ian Spencer (Director of Residential and Catering Services) and James Relf (General Secretary of the Students’ Union) from LSE.

Representatives from the Development Partner consortium include Oliver Campbell (Development Director at Linkcity, Bouygues UK's development arm), Tristan Meredith (Equitix Development Director) and Colin Boyd (Bouygues UK Design Director), with Isabel Allen (Editor of Architecture Today), chairing the panel.

Construction is expected to start on site in 2026, with completion earmarked for 2030, ready for students to move into at the start of the academic year.

LSE select Preferred Development Partner for Bankside House scheme

The LSE has selected a consortium comprised of Bouygues UK and Equitix as a Preferred Partner to progress plans to redevelop their existing Bankside House student residence, located opposite the Tate Modern in Southwark. The project will look to significantly increase the amount of student accommodation available on the site to support the School’s ambition to offer a bed space to every first-year student by 2030. To meet this aspiration the School is looking to have access to 6,000 bed spaces across the portfolio. 

The new development will provide high-quality housing and amenity space, whilst building on LSE’s reputation for delivering well designed, sustainable buildings with a focus on civic engagement and the local community. Bouygues UK/Equitix were selected following extensive engagement with the market in 2022 and early 2023, and a period of competitive dialogue between a small number of sector specialists in the second half of 2023. LSE will now work in conjunction with Bouygues UK/Equitix to select a design team and work up proposals for a planning application in early 2025.

LSE was advised by QMPF, Pinsent Masons, Turner and Townsend alinea (Cost management) and Rolfe Judd (Planning) during the selection process.

Ian Spencer, LSE Director of Residential and Catering Services, said, “I am delighted to be working with Bouygues UK and Equitix on this project. Using their knowledge and experience and working alongside our colleagues in LSE Estates we are looking to create a first class building which offers bed spaces at affordable rents. The new hall will have dining facilities enabling our student community to eat and socialise together.  Working with the LSE Students Union, our Residential Life team will develop a Residential Life programme ensuring the hall has an excellent sense of community and develops ties with the local community in Bankside.”