The building promotes postgraduate identity through the provision of facilities to enhance the staff and student experience of graduate education.  It also encourages and facilitates cross-university collaboration at the postgraduate level.

The University believes that top quality design can greatly improve the educational experience of the students and make them feel valued in high-quality surroundings.

"Orion, the spatial emblem of the Northern sky, is the guiding light for developing a unique icon for the London Metropolitan University on Holloway Road.  The Orion project provides a landmark, attracting visitors to the cultural program within, by its articulated forms.

"The Orion project has an enlivening impact on the wider urban context as well as the image and accessibility of the University.  The three intersecting elements that form the building strategically emphasize certain relationships to the visitor: first, they create a connection between the public, the new building and the university behind; second, they form gestures from the university toward the tube connection to the city; third, they help stitch the new building into the context of Holloway Road.  A small plaza at the entrance provides an accent and an engaging gateway.

"The Orion building is composed of three intersecting volumes with a distinctive presence on the street and unique interior spaces.  The building is clad entirely with embossed coloured stainless steel panels, creating a shining and ever-changing surface.  Windows are conceived as large geometrical cuts, providing accentuated natural light for the café, galleries and seminars.  The interior spaces are simple, bold volumes, which provide multi-purpose flexibility for programmatic events.

"The design accommodates the public functions of the building, while securing the more private university functions.  Both the entire building and parts of the building can be used for public events.  At the same time, the new building is integrated into the circulation patterns of the University and if need be, can be totally closed off to the public.

"Orion is a contribution to the intense urban life on Holloway Road and to the graduate students of the London Metropolitan University.  The interior and exterior provide a unity of composition and a magnet to the facility."

Daniel Libeskind