Open House Festival

Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists

health

Bennetts Associates, 2019

10-18 Union Street, SE1 1SZ

A modern conversion of a 19th-century hop warehouse and a 1980s office building, joined by a striking helical staircase. It is the home of the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists and other women’s health organisations.

Getting there

Tube

London Bridge, Borough, Southwark

Train

London Bridge

Bus

168, 21, 344, 43

Access

Facilities

Accessibility notes

Mostly step-free; third floor accessible via stairs or lift.

What you can expect

Chance of loud noises and bright lights in atrium. Seating can be provided if required.

About

The Building

10-18 Union Street is the home of the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RCOG), a global hub for the improvement of women's and girls' health. The building also houses the following women’s health organisations:

• Royal College of Midwives (RCM)
• Sands (the Stillbirth and Neonatal Death Charity)
• The Eve Appeal
• Best Beginnings
• Florence Nightingale Foundation
• Faculty of Sexual and Reproductive Healthcare,
• Wellbeing of Women
• Jo’s Cervical Cancer Trust
• Endometriosis UK
• Baby Lifeline
• Baby Life line Training
• Bliss
• Group B Strep Support
• Maternal Mental Health Alliance UK
• The Lullaby Trust.

Design

10-18 Union Street comprises two existing buildings: the north is a converted hop warehouse dating from 1853 and the south was purpose-built for offices in the 1980s. To join the buildings, the former courtyard was converted into a glazed atrium which forms the building entrance and events space. Located within this atrium is a floor-to-ceiling bespoke feature wall featuring the RCOG's crest, and a striking helical staircase that joins the two buildings.

The building is a fully accessible and bespoke space, with an emphasis on health, wellbeing, shared spaces and sustainable design – including bees on the roof!

The building was a National Finalist for the Structural Steel Design Awards 2021.

Heritage

The building also houses the RCOG and RCM's library, archive, museum and rare book collections. Items from these collections are on public display around the buildings and tell the story of the rich heritage of both colleges.

Online presence

www.rcog.org.uk

twitter.com/RCObsGyn

Nearby

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