Imperial College White City

It takes an ecosystem to raise an innovator.

After an invited competition entry GROSS. MAX. were appointed to develop the landscape design concept for the White City Campus and support the submission of an outline planning application. The masterplan provides a unique place for research, education, living, recreation and entertainment. The project presents a valuable opportunity that will actively shape the perception of Imperial and profile of White City and set a benchmark for future development. The aspiration of the proposed design is to create a high-quality public realm which acts as canvas for a magnitude of activities, showcases the work and technologies of Imperial, and is inviting throughout the entire year, changing moods with each season. For Imperial College the outdoor spaces are as important as the labs and buildings that surround it. According to Imperial College:” It takes an ecosystem to raise an innovator”.

Following consent for the outline masterplan GROSS. MAX. have developed detailed proposals for the first phase of the project, the key infrastructure, central public space and a new landscaped bridge across the LUL Central Line. At the northern campus we designed a new public garden at the heart of White City Innovation District -marking the first permanent public space in White City Deep Tech Campus. This new garden opened in 2024 provides welcoming spaces for students, staff, start-ups and local businesses to meet, host events and find inspiration. The garden comprises lawns enclosed by hedges, mature trees and intimate seating as well as a more extrovert stage like gathering space of wooded seating steps. From here one overlooks the garden below and the wider campus beyond. Within its half-acre footprint, the garden includes several references to the landmark research and innovation activity taking place at White City Deep Tech campus, with hexagonal shapes calling to mind chemical structures, and the two layered hedgerow planting design informed by bilayer cell membranes.