School of Medicine unveils new Charing Cross campus developments

The new Reynolds learning suite

Imperial College School of Medicine announced significant redevelopment works were successfully complete in a message to its community last week.

Innovative learning and teaching spaces

The Reynolds Building’s first floor is now transformed into a range of new teaching and study spaces. In response to student feedback, an increased number of smaller practice rooms have been built, allowing for smaller group and individual study, especially in the run-up to exams.

All previous seminar rooms have been updated and redecorated to give a modern and comfortable feel, and to allow for larger group sessions or study.

The rest of the floor is now a modern, flexible learning suite. Across its footprint, this space can hold around 180 students at once, divided into smaller groups by tables, and with multiple screens fitted around the room for ease of viewing slides or material.

The suite can be divided into three spaces of varying sizes to accommodate a range of groups, and opens up new possibilities for teaching and learning at the Charing Cross campus.

New accessible, gender-neutral toilets have been built, and tutorial rooms have also had updated heating and air conditioning to ensure comfortable use year-round.

The open concourse space on the first floor has been refurbished, with new informal seating space for individual or group work, or for socialising and eating. 

In order to dedicate the entire first floor to teaching and student spaces, Faculty Education Office staff previously situated on this floor have moved to the third floor, along with the Building Management team, where offices have been refurbished and new meeting rooms built in to accommodate staff working at multiple campuses.

Staff can visit the new Reynolds spaces and other education spaces across the Faculty using new virtual 360° tours.

Strategic design

Professor Amir Sam, Head of Imperial College School of Medicine and Director of the Charing Cross Campus, said, “We have designed and built these new spaces with the School’s innovative approach to curriculum in mind."

“Our reimagined spaces allow for more flexible teaching and learning. They offer our staff new, well-equipped and modern spaces for their teaching sessions, and comfortable spaces for our students to learn.

“The layout of our new learning suite in particular offers opportunities to engage with students beyond the more traditional, didactic lecture theatre style of teaching, and to really allow interaction between students and their teachers, and students and their peers.”

Student facilities

The building’s third floor has had a multi-faith prayer space built in, with a washroom nearby to accommodate students whose prayer requires use of this. Students are welcomed to use the facility as required, and to promote a sense of shared community space for all those who wish to use it.

Investment has also been made in the Imperial College School of Medicine Students’ Union office space, updating and redecorating it to ensure comfortable continued use by the committee for years to come.

The student common room space on the lower ground floor has also been updated for student use, and students have access to a kitchenette in the neighbouring Glenister Building.

Building a medical school hub

Previous successful developments to the Charing Cross campus in recent years include updates to the learning spaces in the Glenister Building and Charing Cross Lab Block – a space shared with the Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust – and last year’s refurbishment of the Reynolds Bar and Café.

Professor Sam added, “The completion of this year’s works realises the strategic ambition of making the Reynolds Building a major hub for the School of Medicine – somewhere our students can always come to and find what they need, from teaching sessions to library study, from gym sessions to a hot lunch, as well as a base for their club and society activities and their social events.

“We are delighted to be able to offer such a range of facilities to our students and staff, and to see our vision for the building come to life. Our thanks go to all the team behind the project management and execution of this. We look forward to learning in and enjoying these spaces for years to come."