Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RCOG)
by Bennetts Associates
Client Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists
Award RIBA London Award 2025
The award winner tells us: "The Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RCOG) has relocated to a new building designed by Bennetts Associates at 10–18 Union Street in Southwark.
This new democratic and inclusive headquarters for the historic medical institution is part of a wider programme of modernisation by the College who had previously occupied leasehold premises in Regent’s Park. The move has allowed them to occupy a city-centre location and own their own building for the first time, representing a significant cultural shift.
The building is an exemplar in adaptive reuse and lean design, knitting together two existing buildings, a converted 19th-century warehouse and a 1980s office building by creating a new central atrium with new workspaces for College staff and partner organisations, conferencing facilities, and a public café."
The jury says: "The existing buildings – a converted 19th-century warehouse and a 1980s office block – were separated by a hard, unloved external space, and consent had been granted for their demolition. This project is a clever and affordable solution that knits the buildings together to create new workplaces and conference facilities for the RCOG and their partner organisations. The design team and client have been careful with where they chose to spend their available budget, concentrating on adaptive reuse rather than remodelling the entire building."
Read the full citation from the RIBA Awards Jury on RIBA Journal
Contractor 8Build
Structural engineer Integral Engineering Ltd
Environmental/M&E engineer KJ Tait
Quantity surveyor/cost consultant Burke Hunter Adams LLP
Fire consultant JGA Fire Engineering Consultants
Acoustic engineer MACH Group
Project management Burke Hunter Adams LLP
CDM coordinator David M Eagle Ltd
Approved building inspector Assent Building Control Ltd
Gross internal area 7,180m²
