Â鶹´«Ã½ÊÓƵÍøÕ¾

It has been been three years since we launched

ucl.ac.uk/transforming-ucl">Transforming Â鶹´«Ã½ÊÓƵÍøÕ¾, with the aim of creating sustainable spaces that meet Â鶹´«Ã½ÊÓƵÍøÕ¾'s world-class aspirations and commitment to academic excellence and innovation.

One significant project within this programme is the refurbishment of the iconic Bentham House, which has been home to Â鶹´«Ã½ÊÓƵÍøÕ¾ Laws for more than 50 years. I was, therefore, delighted to recently join Professor Dame Hazel Genn, Dean of Â鶹´«Ã½ÊÓƵÍøÕ¾ Laws, on a tour to see how the £22 million Bentham House project is progressing.

The history of Bentham House

Â鶹´«Ã½ÊÓƵÍøÕ¾ Laws moved into Bentham House in 1965, with the building having Ìýpreviously been the headquarters for the National Union of General and Municipal Workers.

The faculty had made a number of improvements to the building over the years. In 2001, the faculty extended its space by acquiring neighbouring Hillel House and completing further renovation to create the Gideon Schreier Wing.

In 2011, extensive works to drain the River Fleet's flood plain from ground and basement floors were undertaken, providing among other teaching spaces, the 156-seat Denys Holland Lecture Theatre, which was formally opened by H.R.H The Princess Royal.

By 2013, with the estate being almost 50 years old, it was increasingly difficult to accommodate the needs of staff and students, with pressures on teaching space, office space and student services becoming more apparent with each academic year.

In order for Â鶹´«Ã½ÊÓƵÍøÕ¾ Laws to grow and to ensure that all Laws students could continue to be taught exclusively within Bentham House, a new building and some fresh thinking was required.

The vision for Bentham House

Under the direction of Â鶹´«Ã½ÊÓƵÍøÕ¾ Estates, architects Levitt Bernstein created a design that combines the historic Grade II-listed Bentham House, with Â鶹´«Ã½ÊÓƵÍøÕ¾'s overarching goal of creating a world-class environment for research, teaching and learning.

It gives Â鶹´«Ã½ÊÓƵÍøÕ¾ Laws additional modern space in which to innovate while maintaining the historical attachment to Bentham House.

The building has expanded by 1,500m² to 6,500m² of space, connecting all of the upper floors and allowing for greater wheelchair accessibility. Previous users of Bentham House will remember how difficult it was to navigate between the different wings and this will be a very welcome change when Â鶹´«Ã½ÊÓƵÍøÕ¾ Laws move back.

Directly adjoining new teaching and events spaces, a new bright, spacious café and social hub will become the focal point for life and events in the faculty, providing students, staff, alumni and friends with a place to meet, relax and share ideas.

One of the aspects that impressed me on my visit was how the design puts Ìýstudents, and student space, in the heart of the building. This feature within the new integrated building will continue to foster the sense of community and attachment to the faculty that Â鶹´«Ã½ÊÓƵÍøÕ¾ Laws students have historically demonstrated.

On the lower floors, a suite of flexible teaching spaces is being created, along with a specialist study centre for graduate students. The dedicated study space will allow PhD students to study on-site, alongside academics, and to be in the midst of the thriving research culture at Â鶹´«Ã½ÊÓƵÍøÕ¾ Laws.

The fifth floor of Bentham House will become a dedicated legal research hub. The space will provide researchers such as those from the Bentham Project, the Â鶹´«Ã½ÊÓƵÍøÕ¾ Centre for Access to Justice and the Â鶹´«Ã½ÊÓƵÍøÕ¾ Judicial Institute with room for specialist resources to facilitate their work.

Visiting academics, scholars and distinguished judicial visitors will also be welcomed, allowing collaborative working and space to exchange ideas, strengthening the faculty's ability to work towards the Â鶹´«Ã½ÊÓƵÍøÕ¾ aims of responding to the grand challenges facing today's world.

Engaging with the wider Â鶹´«Ã½ÊÓƵÍøÕ¾ Laws community

Members of Â鶹´«Ã½ÊÓƵÍøÕ¾ Laws have a strong sense of community, even long after graduating. Many alumni, now at the top of their professions, often ask after Bentham House and recount stories about their time studying and socialising there.

Crucial developments to Bentham House over the years would not have been possible without the generosity and continuing support of the faculty's alumni and friends.

Particular thanks are owed to the late Sir Bernard Schreier for the Gideon Schreier Wing, to Vincent Cheung (LLB 1965) for the Denys Holland Lecture Theatre and to Winston Chu (LLB, 1960) for the Cissy Chu Common room.

To show gratitude for the continued support, Â鶹´«Ã½ÊÓƵÍøÕ¾ Laws invited key alumni to visit Bentham House earlier this month and see for themselves how the project is advancing.

The group explored a number of new aspects of the building, along with hearing a talk from the architects and project team. ÌýThe architects shared the vision for Bentham House, the challenges and issues that have been overcome so far and the benefits of the redevelopment for the next 50 years.

Staff and students also toured the building and met with the architects, ahead of their anticipated return to the building in late 2017.

The students took photos and made videos, demonstrating the excitement among the Â鶹´«Ã½ÊÓƵÍøÕ¾ Laws student body at once again having a home of their own.

Moving home

Now that the Bentham House redevelopment is into its final year, key milestones are coming thick and fast.

In late January, Professor Dame Hazel Genn completed the topping out of Bentham House, an important construction milestone, with the building reaching its full height of 44.863m just shorter than Nelson's Column.

Over the coming months, cranes will be removed from the site, the scaffolding will come down, revealing how the Portland Stone façade has united the wings - and the end of the project will begin to feel very real. Then there is just the job of installing state-of-the-art audio-visual facilities and furniture and moving in staff and students.

Looking east

With the activities Â鶹´«Ã½ÊÓƵÍøÕ¾ Laws already undertakes in Bloomsbury, it could be easy to forget that the Faculty also has a presence in east London, reaching out to other communities outside of Â鶹´«Ã½ÊÓƵÍøÕ¾.

The Sir Ludwig Guttmann Centre for Health and Wellbeing in Stratford houses the pro bono Â鶹´«Ã½ÊÓƵÍøÕ¾ Legal Advice Clinic (Â鶹´«Ã½ÊÓƵÍøÕ¾ LAC), run by the which is staffed by Â鶹´«Ã½ÊÓƵÍøÕ¾ Laws students under the supervision of experienced, qualified advisers and lawyers.

The only student legal advice clinic co-located with a GP surgery, the Â鶹´«Ã½ÊÓƵÍøÕ¾ LAC is a unique and innovative initiative working across disciplines to improve health and wellbeing.

The Â鶹´«Ã½ÊÓƵÍøÕ¾ CAJ recently marked helping their first 100 clients, engaging with, and contributing to, the local community by advising local residents on all aspects of social welfare law including welfare benefits and housing.

The social impact of centres such as the Â鶹´«Ã½ÊÓƵÍøÕ¾ CAJ is one of the many reasons that I am very proud to be President and Provost of Â鶹´«Ã½ÊÓƵÍøÕ¾. As a result of the important work that Â鶹´«Ã½ÊÓƵÍøÕ¾ CAJ does, last year, it became one of the cornerstones of Â鶹´«Ã½ÊÓƵÍøÕ¾'s ' demonstrating the place that Â鶹´«Ã½ÊÓƵÍøÕ¾ holds in London, and how it continues to support Â鶹´«Ã½ÊÓƵÍøÕ¾'s tradition of supporting the development of our city.

When Bentham House reopens, the Â鶹´«Ã½ÊÓƵÍøÕ¾ CAJ will have the dedicated space that it requires and deserves to continue its longstanding activities in Bloomsbury, while developments at Â鶹´«Ã½ÊÓƵÍøÕ¾ East, the new campus at Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, mean that the Â鶹´«Ã½ÊÓƵÍøÕ¾ CAJ will be able to grow and expand its activities even further across London.

Keep up to date

Visit the to see how Bentham House is progressing, watch time-lapse videos, view images of key milestones and take a virtual tour of the building.

Or you can follow us on social media:

About Transforming Â鶹´«Ã½ÊÓƵÍøÕ¾

The redevelopment of Bentham House has been delivered by Â鶹´«Ã½ÊÓƵÍøÕ¾ Estates as part of Transforming Â鶹´«Ã½ÊÓƵÍøÕ¾, the largest capital programme in the university's history.Ìý

Transforming Â鶹´«Ã½ÊÓƵÍøÕ¾ will see substantial investment of more than £1.2 billion over a 10-year period to refurbish and develop some of Â鶹´«Ã½ÊÓƵÍøÕ¾'s most iconic buildings while also bringing forward new world-class buildings.ÌýTogether, these will enable and support the university's continued emphasis on providing the facilities required for long term world-leading academic excellence.

Professor Michael Arthur
President & Provost