Oktra’s Landmark Transformation at The Amp Nearing Completion

Oktra’s 12-month refurbishment of the Amp (formerly the Met Works) at 41-71 Commercial Road, Aldgate, is nearing completion. The 150,000 sq ft building, which is spread over seven floors across two buildings, is in the final stages of its transformation but has already opened its doors to higher education providers as of September 2023.

The Amp, which has served as a university building and a film set over the years, will now act as a purpose-built higher education campus complete with state-of-the-art workspace and student amenities. With much of the refurbishment complete, Nottingham Trent’s Confetti (Institute of Creative Technologies) and Access Creative College have already begun offering their creative and entertainment degrees at the new campus as of the beginning of September.

Since the project began in late 2022, the site has undergone major changes to its infrastructure and façade. More than 200 windows have been removed and replaced, with 70 tonnes of new external glass and 1,750 light fitting units installed to transform the look and feel of the space.

Given the plans for The Amp to facilitate student learning, one of the top priorities for the project was ensuring exceptional connectivity. This has been achieved alongside a new 1.5kVA transformer which will provide the building with four times the original power supply, while the refurbishment has also improved the energy performance of the 1960s-built building in order to achieve EPC B rating.

The site is located within London’s “Tech Belt” and is surrounded by an abundance of student accommodation, biomedical, and life sciences buildings in Whitechapel, making it an ideal location for providers to offer higher and further education courses.