The new building, designed by Herzog & DeMeuron, consists of a 3-storey Studio wing that accommodates flexible space for the School of Arts and Humanities and the School of Design. The Rausing Research Building offers flexible office, laboratory, workshop, and exhibition space for the College’s various research departments.

The fit-out design is robust and simple, allowing the creative output of staff and students to take centre stage. The use of a ‘Space Typologies’ strategy, developed in collaboration with Alumni designers, standardized approaches and supported the adoption of low carbon, circular economy principles.

The success of this strategy has led to its implementation across the entire college estate and sets the standards for future developments. The technical workshops on the ground floor showcase state-of-the-art facilities and equipment, including wood and metalwork tools, robotic arms, and a drone flying arena. The ground floor also houses moving image, digital capture, and virtual reality studios for both students and research purposes. The Intelligent Mobility Design Studio allows vehicular access from the street, enabling building users to work on full-scale models in a real-world environment. The first floor contains the College’s learning and teaching spaces, seminar rooms, library, and student support and administration areas.

The Rausing Research Building is dedicated to each of the College’s research departments and includes an Executive Education suite on the seventh floor with panoramic views of the city. The fit-out palette in the Research building remains consistent to provide a framework for showcasing materials, products, and expertise while allowing flexibility in space allocation.