The Royal College of Art has thrown open the doors of its new Herzog & de Meuron-designed Battersea campus, described by the architects as a “civic connector” for the institution.

Herzog & de Meuron beat a shortlist including Diller Scofidio & Renfro and Studio Gang, Swiss-based Christian Kerez, French practice Lacaton & Vassal and Belgian firm Robbrecht en Daem in the competition for the project in 2016. Serie was the only UK architect to make the list.

The £135m development brings together four storeys of studios and workshops for sculpture, contemporary art, video and film, and design. It also includes a double-height 350sq m space dubbed “The Hangar” with large doors at either end to enable the installation of heavy, large, or complex works of art. A similar, but smaller, room provides research, testing and assembly space for sculpture and robotics projects.

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