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Mayor of Camden officially opens 373 Euston Road

Councillor Sabrina Francis, Mayor of Camden, opened Birkbeck’s new state-of-the-art teaching centre this week, unveiling a plaque that celebrates 200 years of Birkbeck providing education in Camden.

The unveiling of the plaque with Councillor Sabrina Francis (left) and Professor David Latchman (right)
The official opening of 373 Euston Road, with Councillor Sabrina Francis (left) and Professor David Latchman (right). Face coverings were removed for the photograph.

Birkbeck is a step closer to its long-term aim of teaching every student in a Birkbeck building or teaching facility, after the official opening of 373 Euston Road by Councillor Sabrina Francis, Mayor of Camden.

Set over seven storeys, the new teaching centre houses a striking 180-seat copper-clad lecture theatre with a roof terrace; ten new classrooms for between 30 to 60 students; a student lounge and café; and social learning areas. The building has a BREEAM 'Excellent' sustainability rating with features such as green roof, rainwater harvesting system and photo voltaic system which converts sunlight into electricity. 

Students have been welcomed into 373 Euston Road this Autumn term, after 18 months of largely remote learning during the pandemic. The architects consulted students and the building has been designed around their needs.

Cllr Sabrina Francis delivered an emotive speech: “I’m really excited to open this building. It is already one of my favourite buildings in the ward, it’s beautiful and striking and I really like how it’s been built with sustainability in mind. I’ve always felt incredibly lucky to have Birkbeck in Bloomsbury, I think its mission to provide education opportunities to those that miss out should really be commended. The opportunity for people to enter higher education is life-changing, and that’s something Birkbeck should be proud of. The students should feel really lucky to use this space.”

Professor David Latchman, Vice-Chancellor of Birkbeck, added: “We are increasingly seeing many jobs disappear, and new opportunities appear. It is no longer enough to simply study for three years, do a degree and never study again. It’s something the government is increasingly recognising, and it's where Birkbeck can step in. In turn of course, we at Birkbeck have an obligation to provide the best facilities for students, including social learning spaces, conventional classrooms combined with online learning, and large lecture theatres. This new teaching centre encompasses this and contributes to our long-standing ambition of every student being taught on Birkbeck premises as part of our work to improve the learning and education experience of our students.”

Following the official opening of 373 Euston Road, Cllr Francis met students and was taken on a tour of Birkbeck Central (formerly Student Central), a building in Malet Street that the College has recently acquired from the University of London. Birkbeck aims to convert the building into high quality teaching, learning and social spaces for its students to help advance its mission to widen access to higher education. Once complete, Birkbeck Central will provide the College with an additional 25% of teaching, learning and social spaces.

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