Firoz Lalji Global Hub
The Wolfson Foundation has provided LSE with a £1 million award to support state-of-the-art teaching and learning spaces in the Firoz Lalji Global Hub.
The Foundation’s grant provides crucial funding for the ongoing development of the forthcoming Hub at 35 Lincoln’s Inn Fields, which will include a specially designed studio space for data visualisation and analysis, named the Wolfson Data Visualisation Studio.
Located at the base of the Global Hub’s atrium, the Wolfson Data Visualisation Studio will create novel opportunities for research, teaching and public engagement by enabling collaborative and group-based facilities for presenting and analysing large amounts of data. Activities in the Wolfson Data Visualisation Studio will be overseen by the School’s Data Sciences Institute (DSI).
“The ability to understand and analyse large data sets is already revolutionising many areas of the social sciences,” said DSI Director Professor Martin Anthony. “The Wolfson Data Visualisation Studio will enable more of our students and researchers to engage with cutting-edge data science than has ever been possible before. We are grateful to the Wolfson Foundation for helping bring this vision to life.”
When completed, the Firoz Lalji Global Hub will be the School’s first net zero carbon building. It will house new dedicated spaces for the Data Science Institute, the Firoz Lalji Institute for Africa, and the Departments of Mathematics and Statistics, as well as LSE’s first purpose-built space for Executive Education programmes. At the building’s centre will be the Agora, a circular multi-purpose space which will host hybrid events and lectures for an audience of up to 256 in person and countless more online.
Welcoming the award, Professor Larry Kramer, LSE President and Vice Chancellor, said,
“The Firoz Lalji Global Hub is a vital step for LSE towards creating a world-class campus in line with our academic standing. It will serve as a state-of-the art place to study, convene, debate, exchange and learn. The support of the Wolfson Foundation will have a transformative impact on this exciting project, and we are honoured that they have chosen to continue their partnership with us.”
This award from the Wolfson Foundation for the development of the Global Hub is the latest in a history of support for LSE. Grants from the Wolfson Foundation have previously supported the development of some of the School’s most recognisable spaces, including the Centre Building and the Cheng Kin Ku Building’s Wolfson Theatre. With this latest grant towards the Global Hub, the Foundation has awarded a total of nearly £5 million to projects and programmes across LSE.
Paul Ramsbottom, Chief Executive of the Wolfson Foundation said,
“We are delighted to continue our longstanding relationship with LSE through our support of the new Firoz Lalji Global Hub, particularly the data visualisation studio. This Hub will enrich the experience of future generations of LSE students and researchers, while creating innovative opportunities for research, teaching, public engagement and collaboration.”