Mace, a construction company, has been tasked with the redevelopment of the Great Hall at Imperial College London, located in South Kensington, UK.
Situated within the Sherfield Building and claimed to be the largest venue on the college campus, Mace’s retrofit team will overhaul the 4,230ft² Great Hall, with completion anticipated by mid-2026.
The hall will be reimagined as a flexible space, capable of being partitioned into three lecture theatres.
London-based Burwell Architects has designed the new space, incorporating motorised partitions that offer high acoustic insulation.
This feature will enable the hall to be divided into three separate areas without compromising its functionality as a sole events space.
The hall will also be equipped with semiautomatic retractable seating, which will enable switching from a theatre-style layout to an open-space arrangement when the space needs to be utilised as one large venue.
Construction will take place in a live environment, with the Sherfield Building remaining operational throughout the redevelopment process.
Mace’s involvement with Imperial College London follows the previously completed National Heart and Lung Institute for the institution, a facility serving as a lab and workplace to advance research in respiratory science.
Mace Construct Fit Out & Retrofit managing director Stewart Ward said: “Transforming Imperial’s Great Hall into a multipurpose space with removable motorised partitions is an ambitious forward-looking project, which will set a new standard for quality for future buildings on the campus.
“This space has always been used for a wide range of memorable events and its redevelopment will mean it can easily be converted into a theatre-style set up as well as three new separate teaching spaces to benefit the campus community.”
Imperial College London Capital Projects and Estates Management director Adam Srodzinski said: “The redevelopment of the Great Hall is an exciting step forward for Imperial, transforming this historic space into a truly flexible venue for both world-class teaching and major events. This project is a milestone in our ambition to create campuses that inspire current and future generations.”
Recently, Mace, along with Turner & Townsend, was named by National Health Service England as the programme delivery partner for its New Hospital Programme in the UK.
