06/10/2026
Event date: Planning permission announced 5 October 2026
Full permission has been granted for the renewal of the RCA’s Grade II-listed Darwin Building. Witherford Watson Mann Architects and Clementine Blakemore Architects will introduce flexible teaching, research, making and public-engagement spaces while repairing and adapting the historic campus.
The project forms part of the RCA’s consolidation into its Kensington and Battersea campuses after it leaves White City in August 2027.
This is an important London example of adapting protected post-war institutional architecture for contemporary creative use. The challenge—improving circulation, flexibility, environmental performance and public engagement while protecting architectural identity—closely parallels the issues encountered in historic hotels and cultural properties.
