Our building and local area
Swathed in a mosaic of 28,000 gleaming tiles, our building plays a standout role on the Greenwich Peninsula. Bold, brave and built for 21st-century learning, it perfectly encapsulates all that is Ravensbourne
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Rooftop terrace in Ravensbourne's R1 building.
No ordinary building
Designed by Farshid Moussavi from the acclaimed Foreign Office Architects in 2010, the Ravensbourne building has been hailed as a masterclass in functional design and public art by RIBA magazine.
Holding its own against the iconic O2 arena, the building is swathed in different coloured, tesellated aluminium tiles and circular windows of different sizes. Together, they create a sense of movement, reflecting our boundless creativity, diversity, experimental nature and our focus on creative design and technology.
Thanks to its eco-friendly design and dazzling good looks, the building swiftly won the RIBA award for best Higher Education building in 2011.
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As you'd expect of a college focusing on design, it's a beautiful building inside and out, and a real contrast to the slightly corporate O2 and surrounding area. Inside, it's airy and innovatively designed to make the most of the space; lucky students!”
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21st-century learning environment
Equally impressive inside, the building is arranged around a vast, sweeping atrium, the building is made up of four interconnected storeys, split floors and open-studio learning.
It was design is to encourage collaboration between the different disciplines and practices within Ravensbourne, and to stimulate the work of creative professionals.
Featuring a variety of workspaces, including social and quiet areas, high-tech creative suites, technology hubs, design studios and more, it has:
- an area of 17,000m2 to house 1,400 students in inter-disciplinary, open-plan work spaces
- a £16m industry-standard high-definition digital broadcast facility
- two floors of the latest technology for 2D and 3D printing
- cafe and retail space on the lower ground floor.
Want to see our building up close? Book a tour
Our local area
Our fantastic building and premises are located in the heart of the Design District on Greenwich Peninsula, with views stretching across the River Thames, to Canary Wharf, Maritime Greenwich and beyond.
Our local area
The Tide
The Tide is London's first-ever elevated riverside linear park, and it's right on our doorstep. Running from Peninsula Square and along the riverside, it's currently 1km in length, and will be 5km when completed. That's longer than the High Line in New York.
This swirl of raised, landscaped walkways and sunken parks, is lined with native trees, grasses and wildflowers, reaching 9m at its highest point. What's more, it offers wooden sun loungers along the river banks, for a spot of sunbathing between lessons or some quiet time for creative thought.
The cherry on the cake is Damien Hirst's Mermaid, and work by a host of other artists. Have you ever seen a slice of ship? You will here!
Just a stone's throw from the O2 arena
The world-famous O2 arena needs no introduction, but it's so much more than a music venue. As you can see, we are literally next door, and Ravensbourne students get a huge 20% off a range of a huge range of restaurants inside, from vegan burgers in By Chloe, to Nando's, Ask, Byron and more.
There's also a tempting discount village featuring retailers such as Ted Baker, Joy, Lindt and Guess. And if you want to let off steam, there's a bowling alley, trampoline park to shake things up, not to mention some of the world's leading musicians, comedians, sports and music events on your doorstep.
We love where we live
There is so much to explore just on our doorstep. Check out The Tide and everything the Greenwich Peninsula has to offer.
We are situated right next door to the famous 02 Arena.
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This variety of formal and informal learning spaces, together with the flexible studio spaces, have provided Ravensbourne with a 21st century learning environment which is no longer focused on the teacher-centred paradigm but a learner-centred paradigm.”
How to find us and useful information
Louise Gadd
Ravensbourne had always stood out as a hub for innovation and technology. The location of the campus was very appealing and the building itself very inspiring. It’s a perfect space to socialise and integrate”
