Delancey’s here east wins RICS Social Impact Project of the Year Award

• Here East was awarded Project of the Year and Commercial Building of the Year for London at the inaugural awards by RICS (Royal Institution for Chartered Surveyors)
• The campus won praise for its sustainable environmental design and economic and social contribution to the area

London, 18 June 2020: Here East, the London-based technology and innovation campus, announced it has been awarded Project of the Year, and Commercial Building of the Year, at the inaugural RICS Social Impact Awards 2020 for London.

RICS Social Impact Awards recognises the built environment’s positive and transformational contribution to society, showcasing the best projects and initiatives from across the UK.

The judges of the awards described Here East having successfully met all of the Social Impact criteria, and described a “buzz of activity and collaboration throughout the campus, which championed social and economic prospects for its substantial community.” In addition, Here East was recognised for its wider benefits to the community, praising the campus for fulfilling an economic and social need in the area through its mentorships, community and educational programmes. Here East was also celebrated for its sustainability, its minimal environmental impact in construction and use, and its carbon reduction progress.

Located in Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, Here East is a 1.2 million sq ft tech and innovation campus. A catalyst for growth, it is home to over 4,500 academics and innovators, and is designed to foster collaboration, allowing its community to collaborate, scale and grow at pace. Tenants include BT Sport, Plexal (Here East’s innovation centre), Fiit.tv, Sports Interactive, Ford Smart Mobility, Studio Wayne McGregor, Matchesfashion and The Trampery on the Gantry, which provides 21 studios for local artists and designers. There is a significant education presence with Loughborough University London, UCL, Staffordshire University’s Digital Institute and soon to open, the Liverpool Media Academy.

Designed by Hawkins Brown, Delancey’s Here East was the International Press and Broadcast Centre for the 2012 Olympic Games and is a standout example of retrofit and sustainability in the build environment. It is widely recognised as the most successful redevelopment of an International Press and Broadcast Centre globally, providing a blueprint for future host cities on how to build a sustainable Olympic legacy.

Gavin Poole, CEO of Here East commented: “Since we opened in 2016, one of our core missions is to ensure the 2012 London Olympic Games has a sustainable legacy that benefits the local area for decades to come. For us, this includes both our sustainability and environment impact, as well as ensuring we have brought meaningful economic and social benefits to our East London community. We deliver this through a wide range of educational, career development, and community initiatives by connecting the innovative companies and individuals on our campus with the local community. It is great to be recognised by RICS in this way, and confirms Here East as a leader in the capital in this important area.”

RICS Social Impact Awards Head Judge for London, Saba Nayab commented: “Here East is everything we were looking for to cover social impact. Within the repurposed modern buildings, flexibly-sized commercial workspace is offered alongside employment training and career development services. With an emphasis on occupier wellbeing there is a varied social events programme on offer to promote a healthy and entrepreneurial community. For such large buildings, carbon reduction measures have been important to achieve and maintain. There is a buzz of activity and collaboration throughout, which champions social and economic prospects for its substantial community.”