The Royal College of Art has secured full planning permission to renew its Kensington campus, centred on revitalising the historic Grade II-listed Darwin Building.
The project aims to bring the campus up to the standards required for a modern, world-leading art and design education while preserving its architectural heritage.
Designed by Witherford Watson Mann Architects with Clementine Blakemore Architects, the scheme has been developed through extensive consultation with the RCA community and key partners, including Westminster City Council and Historic England.
It seeks to balance conservation with transformation, safeguarding the College’s historic character while creating facilities that can support future generations of students.
Work began in 2025 and will proceed in phases through to 2032, enabling teaching and research to continue throughout the programme. A major element of the next stage is reinstating the historic 1851 Place entrance facing the Royal Albert Hall, creating a new gateway to the campus and reconnecting the RCA to Exhibition Road’s cultural institutions.
The redevelopment will also deliver new teaching and learning spaces, modernised studios and workshops, and improved accessibility across the site. Public realm enhancements are intended to open the campus more fully to the surrounding area, encouraging greater public engagement and offering more opportunities for local residents and visitors to encounter the work of RCA students and staff.
The RCA, ranked the world’s number one university for art and design for 12 consecutive years, says the investment is essential to ensure its facilities match its ambitions. The project, estimated at about £90 million, is expected to produce long-term benefits through improved energy efficiency and more consolidated operations, while securing a sustainable, welcoming future for the Kensington campus.
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