The St George’s Quarter Development forms a key part of London South Bank University’s wider masterplan to renew and consolidate its Southwark campus. Conceived as the new public gateway to the university, the project brings together three major buildings around a generous, covered public space —the central atrium— creating a civic heart that
unifies the ensemble. It incorporates the restoration of the former 1846 Presbyterian Church, now transformed into facilities for theatre and dance. Across the ensemble, the architectural language balances heritage and contemporary expression, emphasising openness, accessibility and a clear urban presence.
The Atrium
The central atrium was one of the project’s defining elements. Juan Valeros joined from the invited competition stage, coordinating the volumetric and façade expression of the overall scheme. In subsequent phases, his work focused on the development of the atrium —conceived as a kind of covered agora— up to its planning submission and approval.
The atrium roof is designed as an organic metal gridshell, a continuous triangular lattice forming a double‑domed, free‑form surface. One dome rises towards the main entrance to the north,
the other towards the theatre to the south, helping break down the scale of the atrium, while providing inherent stiffness.
The form of the gridshell is engineered so that it carries no lateral thrust: horizontal forces are absorbed within the geometry itself, while only vertical gravitational loads are transferred to the neighbouring buildings. Thermal movement and wind actions are accommodated through articulated perimeter supports that allow each volume to move independently.
The enclosure combines a continuous clerestory band for natural ventilation and smoke extraction with integrated metal gutters that resolve drainage. The roof cladding is predominantly composed of pre‑finished aluminium panels, interspersed with carefully positioned vision panels that introduce controlled natural light into the atrium below. Internally, a gradient of acoustic panels reinforces the reading of the domes.
The design process involved refining the underlying geometric grid, ensuring a coherent
alignment with the surrounding buildings and achieving feasible panel dimensions. Three subtly different grid zones were developed —variations that remain imperceptible in the finished space yet are essential for structural and geometric resolution.
The project was developed in close collaboration with AKT II and with specialist contractors Seele, Waagner Biro and GIG, whose input helped shape the construction strategy, fabrication approach and modular installation sequence.
