Central Saint Martins
This data is synthesized from project descriptions by Stanton Williams and the college’s internal facility maps.
Group 2 - Lavanya, Shagun, Anvi
A Legacy Forged: Historical Context and Institutional Evolution
Founding Institutions
  • St Martin's School of Art (1854): Emerged from Victorian arts education reform.
  • Central School of Arts & Crafts (1896): Embodied Arts and Crafts movement's craft-based pedagogy.
Institutional Expansion
  • 1999: Integration of Drama Centre London.
  • 2003: Merger with Byam Shaw School of Art.
  • 2011: Consolidation at King's Cross, unifying previously scattered operations.
Prior to 2011, CSM operated across 11 dispersed locations, hindering interdisciplinary interaction. The King's Cross campus brought all academic departments under one roof for the first time.
4,500
Students
1,000+
Staff
Integrated Urbanism: CSM at King's Cross
Masterplan Integration
CSM is a strategic anchor within the 67-acre King's Cross regeneration, a significant urban redevelopment project.
Transportation Hub
Direct proximity to King's Cross Station, offering access to six Underground lines, enhances accessibility for students and staff.
Spatial Positioning
The campus centrally within the masterplan fosters a permeable relationship between institutional programs and public urban spaces, integrating education with the city.
This urban strategy positions CSM not as an isolated campus, but as a cultural catalyst for broader development.
Design Philosophy: Adaptive Reuse and Programmatic Organization
Adaptive Reuse Principles
  • Preservation of Historic Integrity: Maintaining Grade II listed status through sensitive interventions.
  • Minimal Intervention: New construction is limited to essential functional requirements.
  • Material Honesty: Structural and functional systems are explicitly expressed.
  • Permeability & Accessibility: Public circulation is facilitated through institutional spaces.
What is adaptive reuse?
  • Adaptive reuse is when an old building is reused for a new function, while keeping its original structure.
  • Central Saint Martins is an example of adaptive reuse, where an old industrial warehouse was reused as a design college, allowing history and contemporary education to exist together
  • King’s Cross changed from an industrial storage area into a cultural and educational hub by reusing its old buildings and placing a design college at its centre.
Historic Inventory: Transforming Industrial Heritage
1
The Granary Building
A 19th-century industrial grain storage facility, now housing the library, public exhibitions, and administrative offices. A central light well introduces natural light into the atrium.
2
Eastern Transit Shed
Originally a railway transit facility, it now hosts workshops and fabrication facilities, including casting, metal, and wood workshops, preserving its industrial character.
3
Western Transit Shed
Parallel to the Eastern Shed, this facility has been converted into retail, hospitality, and commercial spaces, fostering a vibrant public interface.
4
Historic Horse Stables
Once housing horses for grain distribution, these stables are now sustainable bicycle storage for over 600 bikes, aligning with modern priorities.
Intervention Architecture: The Crossing and The Street
The Crossing: Public Glazed Corridor
This four-story atrium behind the Granary Building connects the historic structure to the public realm. Its full-height glazing ensures transparency and a visual link to King's Cross, mediating between institutional and public spaces.
  • Location: Behind Granary Building
  • Access: Unrestricted public circulation
  • Intention: Civic accessibility and institutional permeability
The Street: Central Covered Atrium
This 110-meter-long, 20-meter-high T-shaped atrium serves as the primary internal circulation spine. Its ETFE roof system maximizes natural light, replacing the historic vehicular flow with a vibrant pathway for creative exchange.
  • Length: 110 meters
  • Material: ETFE lightweight plastic membrane
  • Function: Primary internal circulation for students and staff
Design Category Spatial & Equipment Needs
Fashion Design
Large cutting tables, sewing stations, fitting rooms
Industrial sewing machines, CAD software (e.g., Optitex), fabric storage
Graphic Design
Computer labs, presentation areas
High-performance workstations, graphic tablets, large format printers
Product Design
Workshop with prototyping tools, individual workspaces
3D printers, laser cutters, CNC machines, hand tools
Jewelry/Ceramics
Dedicated studios with specialized ventilation, kilns
Pottery wheels, kilns, jewelry benches, polishing machines
The Building Structure: A 'Creative City'
The Granary
Library & Administration
19th-century brick warehouse; 6 floors
Transit Sheds
Offices & "The Crossing"
Two linear heritage structures flanking the southern entrance
Studio Blocks
All Design Programs
Two new 4-story concrete-frame buildings (North of the Granary)
The Theatre
Performance Arts
A dedicated block at the far North end
The campus is essentially an assembly of four distinct volumes linked by a massive central atrium known as 'The Street.'
This data is synthesized from project descriptions by Stanton Williams and the college's internal facility maps.
New Studio Buildings: Fostering Creativity
Two four-storey studio buildings flank "The Street," creating a symmetrical relationship with the historic structures. These 20,000m² blocks are designed for flexibility and collaboration.
Glazing Strategy
Floor-to-ceiling glazing to the central atrium ensures extensive daylighting, promoting visual assessment and informal cross-disciplinary observation.
Material Palette
1.3 million timber blocks provide warmth, acoustic qualities, and contrast with the industrial heritage, creating an inspiring environment.
Flexibility & Adaptability
Raw, minimally finished spaces with flexible partitions allow for programmatic reconfiguration, adapting to diverse disciplinary needs.
Performance & Assembly
A 350-seat theatre at the southern end allows public programming without impacting academic spaces, ensuring community engagement.
Specialist Labs: Equipment and Space Allocation
Lab Type
Estimated Size (m²)
Key Equipment Load
3D Large Make (Wood/Metal)
1,200
Table saws, CNC routers, welding stations.
Digital Fab Bureau
400
3D printers (SLA/FDM), high-end laser cutters.
Printmaking Suite
800
Silk screen beds, etching presses, litho stones.
Photography Studios
600
3–4 "Infinite Cove" studios + lighting grids.
Surface Design/Grow Lab
300
Scientific equipment, bio-material incubators.
Floor Plans
Published floor plans
Architect-Stanton Williams
The Granary Building is organised over a basement and five floors, with public functions at ground level and studio-based learning spaces on the upper floors. However ,only two are available for
Program Breakdown by Discipline
BA Fashion (4,500 m²)
Design Studios: 2,000 m²
Desk space and research zones
Pattern Cutting & Garment Construction: 1,500 m²
Rows of industrial sewing machines and large cutting tables
Fashion Labs: 1,000 m²
Knitwear machinery, Textile print/dye vats, Finishing rooms
BA Graphic Communication Design (4,000 m²)
Design Studios: 2,500 m²
Primary focus on layout, computers, and collaborative tables
Maker Space / Riso Room: 500 m²
In-studio prototyping
Shared Media/Print Labs: 1,000 m²
Letterpress, bookbinding, high-end digital print
BA Product / Ceramic / Jewellery (3,500 m²)
Design Studios: 1,500 m²
Small scale model-making and desk space
Heavy Workshops (Ground/ Level 1): 2,000 m²
Ceramic kilns, metal casting, wood machines, jewellery benches
Program Zone Allocation: 40,000m² Breakdown
Program Zone
Approx. Area (m²)
Key Spaces Included
Learning & Studio
18,500
BA Design Studios, MA Studios, Break-out spaces
Technical & Labs
8,500
Workshops (3D, Fashion, Print), Media Labs, Darkrooms
Social & Collective
6,500
The Street, The Crossing, Canteens, Roof Terraces
Academic Support
4,500
Library (Granary Bldg), Material Collection, Loan Store
Performance/Public
2,000
Platform Theatre, LVMH Lecture Theatre, Galleries
Design Studio Layout: North Studio Blocks
The North Studio Blocks, spanning four stories, offer a flexible and collaborative environment for various design disciplines. Below is a typical breakdown of the spaces within each floor.
Space Type
Area/Quantity
Description
Studio Modules
4,000 m² per floor
Large open-plan areas subdivided by mobile storage units
Hot-desking/Design Zone
2,800 m²
Open collaborative workspace
Seminar/Crit Rooms
4–6 rooms of 50 m² each
Critique and discussion spaces
Satellite Workshops
Variable
Small "clean" labs (3D printing, light assembly)
The Bridges
8–10 m wide
Semi-private pin-up and circulation spaces
Sustainable Systems & Conservation
Energy Systems
ETFE roof, concrete thermal mass, natural ventilation, and night-time cooling optimize energy performance.
Water Management
Rainwater collection, greywater recycling, and permeable paving manage stormwater efficiently.
Sustainable Transport
600+ cycle parking spaces and direct access to King's Cross Station encourage active mobility.
Adaptive Reuse
Preserving historic buildings avoids embodied carbon, utilizing existing structures for climate moderation.
Space Per Student: Optimized for Creativity
01
Design Studio
3.5–4.5m² per student
02
Workshop Access
1.5–2.0m² per student
03
Collective (The Street)
1.2–1.5m² per student
04
Total
~6–8m² per design student
Building Program Breakdown: 40,000m² Allocation

Design Studios (18,500m²)

Labs & Workshops (8,500m²)

Collective Spaces (6,500m²)

Library & Support (4,500m²)

Theatre & Public (2,000m²)

Design Strategy: Integration Over Isolation
Centralized Workshop Model
Moving away from departmental silos to foster cross-disciplinary collaboration and shared resources.
3:1 Space Ratio
For every 1m² of making space, there are 3m² of thinking space, balancing practical and conceptual work.
The Street: Connecting Spine
The 110m × 12m × 20m high central social spine, connecting all zones and promoting interaction.
Integration over Isolation
A core philosophy driving campus design to create a cohesive and dynamic learning environment.
Thank You
Central Saint Martins: A Model for Adaptive Reuse and Integrated Design Education
Made with