Grafton Architects has been selected to design a new faculty building for the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE) in Holborn, seeing off a shortlist of prestigious firms.
The Dublin-based practice headed up by architects Yvonne Farrell and Shelley McNamara will design The Paul Marshall Building for a site at 44 Lincoln's Inn Fields, which the university bought from the charity Cancer Research UK in 2013.
Renderings produced by the firm show a building faced in pale stone with a series of planted terraces. Inside, a dramatically curving staircase connects teaching spaces set around an atrium with a branching structure of columns and beams.

"We are absolutely delighted to be given this opportunity to build in this unique location in Lincoln's Inn Fields, across from the wonderful Sir John Soane's Museum, for a visionary client such as LSE," said Grafton Architects. The Irish firm saw off competition from five other teams shortlisted in the RIBA-run design competition, including London studios AL_A, David Chipperfield Architects, and Niall McLaughlin Architects and Scott Brownrigg.

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Swiss firm Herzog & de Meuron and a joint team made up of New York practice Diller Scofidio + Renfro and London-based Penoyre & Prasad were also among the finalists.
The Paul Marshall Building will house teaching, sports and arts faciliti...