A summer makeover of the South Ken campus
New doors, a borehole on Queen's Lawn, some long-awaited progress on the Queen's Tower renovation, an ongoing transformation of the Great Hall, and more!
What an eventful summer it's been on our beautiful campus! Let's dive into a few of the major updates that await freshers this year.
No more turning around
Imperial welcomes you with… functioning doors! The revolving doors of the South Kensington main campus entrance, which were found to be leaking into the Business School, have been replaced with sliding ones.
Bore, baby, bore
Imperial has unveiled a test borehole on Queen’s Lawn to investigate the possibility of using geothermal energy to regulate the temperature of facilities on the South Kensington campus. The hole should reach a depth of over 200 metres, and, if successful, open the way to generating around 4 MWh of heating and 2.6 MWh of cooling yearly.
This prospective source of carbon-efficient energy also stands a as statement of Imperial’s commitment to its new sustainability strategy. Prof. Martyn Boutelle, the College’s Associate Provost for Estates Planning, remarked: “This is Imperial […], we do science and technology, and [the borehole] is it on show.”
A new shine
Repairs on the Queen’s Tower, which have been ongoing since 2022, are now complete, with scaffolding dismantlement scheduled to end in January 2026. The cupola dome and finial of the 140-year-old tower have regained their original copper shine after a regilding… until the familiar patina takes over again. The stone statues that adorn the tower have also been restored, and will no longer look as blemished and worn down as the student body they look down upon. 100 km of scaffolding were used for the renovation.
With a Great Hall comes great flexibility
The Great Hall is being refurbished to serve as a teaching space when it is not needed to accommodate events. It will be partitioned into three lecture theatres, with retractable seats and motorised walls allowing for an easy conversion back to its full-space configuration. The hall, which should reopen towards the end of 2026, will also become a venue for Friday prayers.
These changes are part of a larger redevelopment of the Sheffield building into a more “student-focussed” space, with new lecture theatres and student breakout spaces on level 3, social spaces and self-cook faculties on level 4, and student services on level 5.
Êtes-vous prêts?
Last but not least, a brand new Pret A Manger outlet has opened next to the Business School entrance, replacing the former College Café space. This follows a 2023 survey conducted by Imperial, where the coffee chain was chosen as the Imperial community’s preferred external supplier. Club Pret memberships apply there as normal.
