Here’s what you wanted to know about the new Nucleus building at King’s

It has boiling water taps?

2 years ago

STEM students have been given the rare opportunity to be happy this week. The reason is (shockingly) not our exam timetable finally being released – it’s the opening of the new (£48 million) Nucleus Building at King’s. This new building, right in the middle of campus, has been a mysterious pile of scaffolding for ages. But not anymore – the study spaces, shop and cafe opened on Monday the 31st October, with lectures and teaching starting here after Christmas. Here’s why STEM students can’t shut up about it.

Ground floor – shop, canteen, study

You can access it through the ground floor of the library

The first floor has loads of things to eat – a wrap bar, meal deals, coffee to go and a soon-to-be-open canteen. King’s can feel like a bit of a food desert sometimes – no Africano Wrap or Nile Valley for us – so this is a welcome addition. And it’s got novelty – the shop has self-checkout machines. The coffee is cheap. It’s also got loads of chairs, in groups and alone, plus the entrance to one of the 5 new lecture theatres.

The main downstairs lobby

The toilets

I can’t lie, I really struggled working out how to wash my hands – the soap and dryer are squirrelled away under the mirrors. I also couldn’t see any sanitary products, which they’ll hopefully add soon. The t0ilets on the ground and third floors are gender neutral, and each floor has an accessible toilet.

The stairwell

The large, airy stairwell dominates the centre of the building and gives incredibly scandi and serene vibes. Apparently, there are many sustainable features of the building, like recycled materials and a reduced carbon footprint during the build.

Floors 1 & 2 – study space

There are loads of different study spaces, plus 2 large new classrooms and new lecture theatres in the building. These are mostly spread across floors 1 and 2 and come with heat and eat stations, sofas and boiling water taps (I know, yo read that right). Experiments (carried out by me) have already proven that the egg study pods are the perfect place for a nap between classes.

The lecture theatres open after Christmas

The classrooms are designed for 60/120 people, so are absolutely huge.

Apparently, the lecture theatres all have different pros, like air-conditioned seats, seats that swivel, and rows of chairs that can be moved around. They also have named the theatres after Scottish trees – is that supposed to soften the blow that, come January, I have 4 9ams here a week?

Floor 3 – Labs, study space

Floor 3 has a serious-looking Chemistry lab (seriously, it has a locker room), more study space, and amazing views of the city.

BONUS: the lift tells you the weather, news and facts

It tells you random nerdy facts, just like science students

Overall, anyone at King’s will tell you how much it needed a main social/study hub and this certainly seems to fulfill the criteria. The fact this building isn’t an absolutely hideous 70s build, like a lot of the rest of King’s, is also a big win. While we may not be able to relate to the dark academia tiktoks of Edi, at least we’ve now got egg chairs to nap in.