Founded in 1829 by King George IV and the Duke of Wellington, King’s College London is ranked as one of the top 25 universities in the World. It wins this ranking through the quality and impact of the research carried out there. 9 Nobel Prize winners are among its alumni.
Despite its prestigious standing, the university’s physical presence was often missed as its campuses are dispersed around London.
In 2015 King’s College London added the prestigious Bush House to its portfolio, a Grade II listed building situated off Aldwych, previously home to the iconic BBC World Service.
The building has four wings around a central courtyard. Each wing has a central core going up through the stories of the building, King’s College, a long term client of ours, asked us to develop a wayfinding strategy that would make sense of the whole building to students, staff and visitors.
Our solution was an Eames inspired system of stacked totems that not only complement the building’s listed environment but also use minimal fixing points. The totems are an elegant solution that fits the building.
To identify each department we also developed Welcome Walls which feature large typography and bold colour. They enhance the student environment, helping to identify and reaffirm arrival at departments.
Bush House is not only King’s College London’s pre-eminent student campus, but it is also the benchmark for all their future signage.
