It probably does not come as a surprise when I tell you that the Marshall Building must be my favourite building on campus. The Marshall Building sits right across the library, overlooking Lincoln’s Inn Fields, boasting some of the best views of campus. Despite having opened over a year ago, the Marshall Building’s modern flare is still yet to bore me. In addition to its pleasing aesthetic, it also facilities a range of activities that take place on campus beyond just academics.

Ground floor

Walking into the Marshall Building, you will first be struck by the sheer size of it. The high ceilings and large windows create an open spacious area interspersed with a range of study spaces for individual and group work. This is probably my favourite floor as it has the most relaxed atmosphere and is home to the Beaver’s Brew Café. This café serves some of the best coffee and food on campus and provides great tunes with its chilled music. Additionally, as a BSc Environment and Development student, the Beaver’s Brew Café is a great place to go as it has significantly reduced its plastic usage and replaced it with more environmentally friendly alternatives.

The ground floor also is home to the rehearsal studio. This airy room provides a space for many of the LSE Students’ Union sports societies. In the past, I have enjoyed activities ranging from Dance to Yoga.

Lower ground floor and basement

Continuing down the stairs from the dance studio you will get to more of the LSESU spaces.

Here you will be able to find the music practice rooms. Due to the installed acoustic insulation, these spaces are great for allowing you to practice your instrument without having to worry about disturbing anyone. Additionally, there are also larger rooms for bands to practice and rooms that include pianos.

The lower ground floor also has a strength and conditioning suite which you can gain access to through an LSESU membership. This gym provides access to some of the latest equipment and weights reaching up to a staggering 55kgs.

Basement

The basement is home to even more sports facilities. The sports hall provides a space for many of the LSESU sports activities from basketball to futsal, you name it. With a balcony overlooking the hall, it is also a great space for fixtures hosted by our home teams.

Next to the sports hall, there are two brand-new squash courts. These facilities are open to bookings through the LSESU.

Finally, in the basement, there are changing rooms. Fitted with coded lockers, they are an ideal space to store belongings whilst using the LSESU facilities.

First and second floors

Head up the cascading stairway from the ground floor and you will be able to find even more spacious and airy study spaces on the first and second floors. These study areas tend to be quite quiet so are a great place to get your head down and get work done if you need to focus. Moreover, these floors are furnished with comfy sofa chairs so if you plan to spend lots of time reading in one place this is a great space to be.

The first and second floors also have lecture theatres and classrooms. These lecture theatres are equipped with some of the best equipment to optimise the learning experience. For instance, the lecture theatres have mics installed at each seating area to facilitate discussions between the students and the lecturer to ensure everyone can be heard.