Wilkins Terrace, UCL

Wilkins Terrace has transformed the unsightly and unloved Physics Yard into a visually stunning and indispensable social, events and amenity space for UCL.

The terrace area is landscaped in Portland Stone; a natural, sustainable choice with a high fossil content that provides a textured finish and adheres to the strict guidelines for working on the Grade I listed building, which is ‘carved out’ to create a lower terrace alongside the refectory and an upper terrace off Wilkins North Cloisters.

The ‘fourth façade’ wall completes the classical courtyard composition to the east. Constructed using Portland stone and designed to classical Georgian proportions it’s accented with up-lights in all the stone reveals. It is a contemporary interpretation of the surrounding historic architecture and helps to tie all the courtyard elements together.

The terrace deck, fourth façade, fixed seating bays and new edge walls are clad all use a variety of Portland Stone beds from Albion Stone’s range. These applications also included load bearing Portland columns, extensive Portland paving, steps and planters.

Albion Stone supplied 640m² of Jordans Whitbed, 740m² of Grove Whitbed, as well as 720m² of Fancy Beach Whitbed and 10m² of Jordans Basebed.

Sustainability was a key consideration in the planning and development of the project and the refectory is on track to achieve a minimum environmental rating of BREEAM ‘Very Good’. Wilkins Terrace was completed in 2017.