The project will increase studio and workshop space at the RA Schools at Burlington Gardens near Picadilly in central London, as well as creating a new library, canteen and bar. 

The works are expected to begin in 2021 and will also see the renovation of the Sydney Smirke studios, Cast Corridor and Life Room, which were built in 1870. 

The project is funded by a £10 million donation by The Julia and Hans Rausing Trust, a charitable body which also gifted £2.5 million towards the completion of the extension that David Chipperfield Architects last year.

These works connected the RA's main Burlington House galleries to 6 Burlington Gardens at the rear with a concrete bridge, created a new auditorium and improved galleries – including the creation of the institution's first dedicated architecture space. 

The school is to rename its buildings The Julia and Hans Rausing Campus following the works. 

The renovation celebrates the 250th anniversary of the institution, which was founded in 1767. Each year the school, which is Britain's oldest, takes 17 students onto its free, three-year postgraduate programme.