The Royal College of Art (RCA), the internationally renowned art and design university, today launched "GenerationRCA", an ambitious five-year campaign programme representing the most significant development in its history since the College was founded in 1837.

GenerationRCA will propel the RCA’s radical new academic vision by focusing on three key pillars: "Places, Projects and People." 

GenerationRCA: Places

This programme will see the RCA transform its campuses and the ways in which the university teaches, researches and creates. On a site immediately opposite its existing Battersea campus, the RCA will open a new state-of-the-art building, designed by internationally acclaimed architects Herzog & de Meuron. A landmark for London and British higher education, the Herzog & de Meuron development sets a new blueprint for creative education.

After 2021, the RCA will turn its focus to its historic site in Kensington, and undertake the revitalisation of its Grade II-listed Darwin Building which opened in 1961, designed by Sir Hugh Casson, H.T. Cadbury-Brown and Robert Goodden. The RCA intends to rediscover the radical nature of this exceptional building and return to the startlingly bold vision of its founders.

GenerationRCA: Projects

The RCA’s academic vision is to transform the accepted paradigm of an art and design university, by injecting key scientific disciplines into the mix of creative disciplines traditionally on offer. 

The College will continue along its recent path of introducing exciting and provocative new programmes such as Environmental Architecture and Digital Direction; with future programmes centred on nano and soft robotics, computer science and machine learning, materials science and the circular economy.

GenerationRCA: People

At present, the RCA welcomes the world’s most creative and talented individuals from some 76 different nationalities. GenerationRCA will establish a significant scholarship endowment fund, which will be built up over generations to come, in order to ensure that the most gifted students, irrespective of their financial circumstances, are able to study at the RCA. 

New faculty positions will be established in distinct new fields of academic endeavour. This includes the Genesis Professor of Innovation, which the RCA will appoint in 2019, thanks to the generosity of the Genesis Foundation and John Studzinski CBE.

"I believe that the Royal College of Art is a truly unique community; a vital, creative environment where the nature of ideas are explored and nurtured; where the cross-pollination and collaboration of different disciplines is encouraged, uniting diverse groups in pursuit of discovery, and feeding and supporting the momentum which encourages an acceptance of the challenges associated with doing hard things, encouraging the curiosity, openness and care that are at the heart of innovation," said Sir Jony Ive, Chancellor, RCA.

"I remain completely in awe and completely enchanted by the creative process, so I'm particularly proud to have the chance to represent and help guide this extraordinary institution as Chancellor, as we enter one of the most exciting times in its history."

The new Battersea flagship building, situated alongside the existing campus, is conceived as two conjoined buildings that will provide some 16,000 sqm of studios, workshops, labs and research centres. At its heart lies a dramatic double-height hangar space – an agora where large-scale works can be assembled and displayed, and students can gather for talks or performances.

The new development will ensure that the RCA continues to reach out towards its local community, with the creation of a new café and art materials shop. Public walkways intersect the site, referencing the original Victorian street grid of this quarter of London. 

The RCA’s close neighbours include the headquarters of fashion designer Vivienne Westwood and architects Foster & Partners. Construction of the building is underway, and the RCA looks forward to opening the doors to students in autumn 2021.

All images © Herzog & de Meuron

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