Big investment, early days: A year on, Royal Docks Sustainability Centre is still finding its feet
Backed by £5 million in public and university funding, the Royal Docks Centre for Sustainability has launched with a bold vision, though much of its promise is still in development.
The Royal Docks Centre for Sustainability (RDCS) was launched in December 2023 by the University of East London (UEL) in Newham. Touted by London Mayor Sadiq Khan as an ‘integral to one of the most significant regeneration projects in Britain’, the centre was welcomed as a bold new hub for sustainability, innovation, and local opportunity.
It was framed as a leap forward for collaboration between sustainable organisations and a shift of investment eastward, continuing in the footsteps of City Hall, which relocated to Royal Docks in 2022.
Housed in what was UEL’s Knowledge Dock building, the project received £1.6 million from the Mayor’s Good Growth Fund – part of a £70 million regeneration initiative for the capital – alongside £3.2 million from UEL itself. In total, nearly £5 million was spent primarily on refurbishing one-third of the building. Planning began before the pandemic, and the bulk of work was concluded by December 2023, with the centre formally opening in February 2024.
The revamped space, once a maze of closed-off offices, now features open-plan spaces. Robert De Jong, Director of the RDCS, explained that the refurbishment has opened up the building, cementing the RDCS as a hub of collaboration, and an opportunity for students, residents and sustainable organisations to work together.
‘Before, this was very much a rabbit hole of business centers and research, behind closed doors.’ explains De Jong. ‘Now, as you walk through the centre, you can see things happening in different corners, which makes people intrigued. Okay, what’s happening behind this area? What’s in this corner? And then you feel part of that instead of a closed off corridor or a dark door that has no kind of story.’
In 2024, the centre reported 2,998 community visitors, made up of residents and third sector organisations from across London, which is about eight per day.
As you enter the expansive space, students and researchers are dotted around, some at work and some here for a coffee and a catch-up. There were two events the day we visited: a conference about periods and a children’s fashion class.
Community Manager Jameelah Webster described how the large space and open mindset provide an ‘inspiring’ and ‘innovative’ way of working, different from elsewhere.
One of the centre’s three core projects is The Dialogue Cafe, where all baristas are deaf or hard of hearing. The cafe opened in January and encourages customers to order in British Sign Language (BSL), with on-screen help for beginners. Created by the Dialogue Hub and funded entirely by UEL, the cafe is currently the only main project to open since the centre was unveiled.
The second project, The Rix Centre, is not new. It has operated at UEL for two decades, and continues its work on accessible technology. It is named after former UEL Chancellor Lord Rix, whose daughter had Down’s Syndrome. Its recent ‘hackathon’ event led to an inventive concept for a self-driving accessibility device for wheelchair users that would link station platforms to the train, and is currently being explored with TfL.
The third main initiative, the Sustainability Research Institute (SRI), also predates the RDCS by over 20 years. The SRI works across the UK and Europe, providing sustainability advice and research to businesses across the UK.
Smaller initiatives based at the centre included the Millionaires’ Club, which UEL founded to offer business mentorship to students. There are also several labs based at the centre, including the Renewable Energy Lab, which currently has 5-10 Master’s and PHD students working on solar panel technology and hydrogen energy.
So, what does the future of the RDCS look like? De Jong explained that several projects are yet to be completed.
The centre has plans to decorate its interiors with the work of local artists.
A lab for Augmented and Virtual Reality research is waiting on hardware and software, with hopes of opening in early July.
Two ‘data labs’, aimed at boosting digital skills and employability, are now expected in autumn. A month-long training programme has taken place, but the labs have been delayed due to ongoing discussions about ensuring the tech is energy efficient, according to De Jong.
The Renewable Energy Lab is already operational, but it will become more accessible to the public during its second phase later this year. Meanwhile, a more creative addition – a sustainable fashion archive – is also planned for the centre. Its arrival depends on ongoing negotiations with UEL.
When asked whether the RDCS has lived up to expectations, De Jong said, ‘It’s still early days, I’d say. It’s gaining global recognition, definitely, through the activities of what the centre’s delivered and the attention that we’re receiving.
‘As a footprint globally and what that means, you’ll see significant steps in the next few years.’
The Royal Docks Centre for Sustainability has made a promising start, with a clear vision, community engagement, and several key projects already underway. While the scale of investment and attention brings high expectations, many of the centre’s most ambitious elements are still in development. As more planned facilities come online, the year ahead will be an important period of growth and opportunity for the RDCS to demonstrate its long-term potential for East London.
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