London College of Creative Media hosts opening ceremony for new Music Box campus

London College of Creative Media (LCCM) held a ceremony on Tuesday 4 December to celebrate the opening of the “Music Box”, the new home of the College. The event saw the participation of Myleene Klass, singer and celebrity, Neil Coyle, Member of Parliament for Bermondsey & Old Southwark, plus other special guests.

LCCM’s new purpose-built central London campus is located on Union Street,, within easy walking distance of Southwark underground station. Purpose built for LCCM, the “Music Box” provides students with unrivalled resources for music, writing and technology. The building consists of four floors of bespoke workshop spaces, recording studios, music technology labs and a basement music venue.

The new campus allows the College to further its aim – to transform higher education in music by connecting students to industry and investment. The performance spaces and music venue on campus provide a fantastic opportunity for live performances and masterclasses.  

Designed by SPPARC for developer Taylor Wimpey Central London and LCCM in consultation with the London Borough of Southwark, the “Music Box” has been conceived as an urban marker to create a new distinctive cultural corridor between Southwark station and Tate Modern. The building also responds to housing demands in the area, with two storeys of affordable accommodation and eight storeys of luxury residences.

Myleene Klass, Darius Khwaja, Principal and Founder of LCCM, Neil Coyle MP, and Trevor Morriss, Principal at SPPARC, led the ribbon-cutting ceremony marking the official opening of “Music Box”.

Darius Khwaja commented: “With the new campus, we have a flagship space in the centre of London, where music, technology and writing can all meet. We love our new home. On every floor there are recording studios, mac labs, practice booths and performance rooms buzzing with the creative talent of our students.

The significant investment in new facilities and equipment at LCCM will help students to become professional performers and the great artists of the future.”

Trevor Morriss said: “The inspiring brief for the new LCCM campus called for a unique creative environment, which welcomes artistic and intellectual exploration of modern music.

“The concept and architectural approach was derived through the desire to reflect the creative energy that is generated inside the College onto the streets outside to engage both its users and the public. SPPARC is delighted to have conceived and delivered the “Music Box” – a place for living and a space for learning; a genuine mixed-use development.”

About London College of Creative Media (LCCM): formerly London Centre of Contemporary Music – was founded in 2002 as a music college. Its aim is to establish a new approach to teaching music that mixes an art school environment with the best of the music conservatoires and universities.

LCCM has pioneered an educational model where music students have to master both performance and production – a combination that remains vital for most professionals today. With its degrees developed and delivered by leading industry professionals, LCCM’s innovative approach to specialist education prepares students for industry and employment from the moment they start at LCCM.

About SPPARC: A prominent London-based architectural firm. An award-winning studio with an exciting UK & International portfolio of completed and live projects across multiple sectors, SPPARC has industry-recognised expertise in delivering high-quality architecture and masterplans of varying scales defined by the team’s pursuit of excellence.
 
     

Transforming buildings into urban markers and architectural wayfinders, SPPARC’s projects are informed by the way people interact with the architectural fabric that surrounds them. SPPARC collaborates closely with both clients and users, from project inception to completion, to deliver bespoke solutions that generate economic and social interaction within the public and private realms.


In recent years, SPPARC has emerged as a key player in the ongoing development of Southwark and the practice’s key projects within the borough include Native Bankside, the transformation of three 19th century warehouses into a 75-room boutique apart-hotel and rehearsal studios for The Globe Theatre; Borough Yards, a £300m redevelopment of the former Vinopolis site scheduled for completion in 2020 that will offer workspace, retail, gallery, restaurants, cinema and creative spaces; and The Kite, a twenty-three storey mixed use development, currently on site, comprising a 140-room hotel 48 residential units and retail space.

On the other side of the capital, SPPARC is working in partnership with Heatherwick Studio on the extensive redevelopment of Olympia London, aiming to position it as a centre for creativity, innovation and entrepreneurship in the UK.