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Centenary site nominated for a Webby Award

100 years - 100 stories: Building the Centenary homepage

Our exceptional researchers use science, technology and medicine to find practical solutions to real life problems around the globe, changing the face of society.

Such exceptional students and researchers require world class facilities in which to apply their analytical and enquiring minds to the world's great problems. We are committed to renewing our physical infrastructure, both through investment of College funding and by committing a sizeable portion of the Centenary campaign to campus renewal.

We're laying the foundation for the next generation of breakthrough research laboratories, cutting-edge library spaces, and an innovative student union that specialises in the "social" sciences. Today's campus renewal projects equip us to meet and master tomorrow's challenges and opportunities.

Current campus renewal project details

• The Library Redevelopment
• The Union Redevelopment
• Hammersmith Redevelopments

The Library Redevelopment
After almost two years of extensive redevelopment works, and a wealth of generous donations from alumni, staff and friends, the newly refurbished ground floor of the Central Library opened its doors to Imperial students in July 2008.

A cornerstone of academic life, the Central Library embarked upon a major renovation programme in June 2006, and the development was named as one of the Annual Fund’s priority fundraising projects later that year.

Space has almost doubled on the ground floor, making way for more than 400 new study spaces including a flexible group learning zone equipped with adaptable furniture and screens, and a 'think tank' zone comprising semi-open areas for group work or spontaneous meetings, furnished with large screen personal computers.

The most visually exciting element of the redevelopment is the new glass-fronted Learning Café, funded by the Wolfson Foundation, which overlooks the Queen’s Lawn. The Learning Café offers refreshment and computing facilities to library users, providing a relaxed and informal environment for both individual and collaborative study. The Wolfson Foundation also funded the IT Learning Suite which incorporates 50 individual personal computers and a number of group study rooms.

Over 200 Annual Fund gifts have been directed towards the Library Fund, and, in total, philanthropic support of over £800,000 was raised towards the project. As a result, the College now boasts a flagship learning space which stands as a physical symbol of our commitment to the pursuit of knowledge, which will significantly benefit current and future generations of Imperial students.

"The redevelopment of the Central Library is now providing students with a state-of-the-art focus for learning in the twenty-first century. Thanks to the generosity of former students of the College, this exciting project is now complete and we are able to provide current and future Imperial students with an academic environment equal to their unique talents."
Deborah Shorley
Director of Library Services

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The Union Redevelopment

Another of the College's flagship Centenary projects is the major redevelopment of the Imperial College Union Building in Beit Quad. The redevelopment will deliver improved facilities needed to enrich student life and provide a broader educational experience for all.

"Some of the best moments in my life happened in and around the Beit Quad and in the Union Building - from becoming President of the Union, to my first brush with the media. The redevelopment won't just be an asset to the College. It will be essential to both preserving and updating the best in student life."
Trevor Phillips (Chemistry 1975)
SU President (1974-75)
Chair of the Commission for Equality and Human Rights

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Hammersmith Redevelopments
South Kensington is not the only campus to benefit from funds raised through the Centenary Campaign.

At Hammersmith, the refurbished Wolfson Conference Centre will provide a new home for a four-year graduate entry medicine course, as well as a new three-year BSc in Biomedical Science. This £5 million refurbishment has been made possible by a generous grant of £2 million from the Wolfson Foundation.

The Conference Centre compliments a second major redevelopment on the eastern side of the Hammersmith Campus: a state-of-the-art research facility, which will provide the UK with a centre of excellence for clinical imaging. Researchers and staff from Imperial, Medical Research Council and GlaxoSmithKline combined to form a major research partnership housed in two buildings connected by a shared entrance and circulation area. This facility will also house a major Centre for Neurosciences which has already attracted philanthropic support from several donors but continues to form part of the Centenary Campaign.

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