Today, guests gathered to celebrate the ‘Topping Out’ of Ravensbourne College’s new building next to The O₂ at Greenwich Peninsula. In just a year from now, Ravensbourne will open the doors of this new building to 1,400 students for the very first time.

In a ceremony hosted with construction partner Bovis Lend Lease, Ravensbourne marked the completion of the main structure by engraving and mounting one of the external tiles to the roof of the building. Designed by Foreign Office Architects, the new College will be a landmark building fronting Peninsula Square. 

When it opens next year, Ravensbourne will be at the heart of this new district for London that is being developed by Lend Lease (Europe) and Quintain through Greenwich Peninsula Regeneration Ltd (GPRL), and the 1,400 students will join 1,800 Transport for London employees who re-located to the Peninsula this month. The new College will be just one stop on the Jubilee Line from Canary Wharf and benefit from the leisure and entertainment facilities within The O₂ as well as a tube station, bus interchange, cycle routes and riverside walks two minutes from their front door.

Ravensbourne’s iconic new building has a striking exterior but inside is where all the excitement will really happen. A hive of interlinked floors and spaces, brand new facilities and the latest digital technologies will enable creative education, collaboration and innovation not just locally but across the globe.

It’s an approach that will serve its mission to champion the creative, collaborative exploitation of digital technology through vocationally focused design and communication courses from further education to postgraduate level. These courses have won Ravensbourne Skillset Media Academy status – it is one of a national network of centres of excellence in creative media education and training.

Ravensbourne has a central role to play in the development of Greenwich Peninsula, and London as a whole. It encourages and develops talent in schools and in the local community, raising aspirations and expectations.

Professor Robin Baker OBE, Director of Ravensbourne College said:

“We are delighted that we have reached this important milestone in the development of our stunning new building. And it’s in the ideal location for us, right at the heart of the most exciting new community in London. We are a major step closer to realising our vision to become a truly world-class digital destination, developing highly employable, creative and enterprising graduates”.

Dan Labbad, Chief Executive of Lend Lease Europe, said:

“Ravensbourne College will bring not only world class architecture but 1,400 of the UK’s most creative students to Greenwich Peninsula when it opens in twelve months’ time. With our construction team at Bovis Lend Lease, we remain firmly on track for a successful and safe delivery. With The O₂ attracting 8 million people a year and 1,800 Transport for London employees already based here, today’s event marks another major milestone in the emergence of the Peninsula as a vibrant new community for London.”

David Lunts, Homes and Communities Agency London Regional Director said:

“Today marks an important step in the journey to regenerate Greenwich Peninsula. It is particularly important to see this progress at such a challenging time and the HCA will be continuing their work with GPRL to bring forward future stages of development.”

Cllr Chris Roberts, Leader of Greenwich Council, said:

"As a well-regarded higher education institution, Ravensbourne will make a vital contribution to regeneration across the whole borough.

"The College will be a major asset to Greenwich and key to delivering the vision for the Peninsula. We want to raise educational achievements, develop the skills and employability of young people and attract digital media businesses to the borough. Ravensbourne will be ideally placed to help us achieve this."

Ends

Notes about Ravensbourne:

• Ravensbourne College of Design and Communication is a University Sector College, validated by City University London. It is currently based in Chislehurst, Kent.
• It has a community of approximately 1,400 students that follow pre-degree (Further Education), undergraduate or postgraduate (Higher Education) programmes, and are drawn from the UK, Europe and around ten percent from International (non-EU) destinations.
• Ravensbourne programmes include fashion, broadcasting, product design, architecture, interior design environment architecture, graphic design, sound design, digital music production, motion graphics, interaction design and animation.
• Ravensbourne’s new building has been made possible with support from the European Regional Development Fund, Greenwich Council, the Higher Education Funding Council for England, Homes and Communities Agency, London Development Agency and the Learning and Skills Council.

Notes about Greenwich Peninsula:

• The £5 billion regeneration of 190 acres of Greenwich Peninsula led by Lend Lease and Quintain working in collaboration with the Homes and Communities Agency – a true public private partnership.  The scheme will create a thriving new riverside community for London over the next 15 years.
• 10,000 new homes in distinct residential neighbourhoods
• 24,000 permanent jobs
• Peninsula Central - a new business district for London 
• 150 new shops and restaurants
• 1.6 miles of river frontage; the distance between Waterloo and London Bridge
• 48 acres of open spaces and parks; the size of Green Park
• Extensive new community and leisure facilities
• The O2 entertainment destination delivered and operated by AEG Europe
• Excellent transport links, situated in zone 2 on the jubilee line
• Aspiration for the highest environmental standards for new buildings

www.greenwichpeninsula.co.uk

Lend Lease

Lend Lease, listed on the Australian Stock Exchange, is a leading real estate specialist which creates and manages real estates assets around the world.  In the UK its business is focussed primarily in the delivery of large scale mixed use schemes which lead to the regeneration of major urban sites.

www.lendlease.com

Quintain

Quintain creates value from property, operating through three businesses: fund management, property investment and urban regeneration. Quintain is listed on the London Stock Exchange.

www.quintain.co.uk

Homes and Communities Agency (HCA)

The HCA is the single, national housing and regeneration agency for England.  Its role is to create opportunities for people to live in high quality, sustainable places. The HCA provides funding for affordable housing, brings land back into productive use and improves the quality of life by raising standards for the physical and social environment. www.homesandcommunities.co.uk