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.
Southwark, Borough, London Bridge
London Bridge
43, 344, 21, 168
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
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.
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.
