Architecture -
Universities

Robert Hooke Building

Won in competition, this design for a new science building for Space Research and Chemistry was driven by the desire to improve both facilities and working methodologies.

The building has two wings, each wing is arranged vertically with laboratories, circulation and open office areas stacked on top of one another. Vertical light voids connect floors and glass walls provide levels of acoustic and visual privacy.

The envelope of the building reflects the internal program, open office areas are day lit by large north facing glazing and the sensitive laboratories are cocooned within the heavily insulated south walls.

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Merton College T.S. Eliot Lecture Theatre

The new building fills a gap between existing 1930’s buildings in Rose Lane; care has been taken to ensure the new building forms a sympathetic addition to them, responding to the scale of the existing buildings with appropriate massing and materials.

There are views to the building from Rose Lane, from the parapet of the old city wall within Merton College grounds and, more distantly, from across Christ Church Meadow. The visible face of the building set close to the site boundary is constructed of rubble stone similar to the adjacent city wall lining Christ Church Meadow.

The design features:

• A limited pallet of stone and glass provides a strong sense of continuity with the old city fabric. Glass is used to create a definite visual junction with the existing stone buildings.
• A roof designed as a robust light-weight energy-efficient warm roof with a Terne Stainless Steel finish which will weather to the appearance of soft lead but without the weight, embodied energy or the environmental impact of lead processing.
• High quality acoustic performance; high-quality audio-visual system has been installed to meet the requirements of a versatile lecture space, auditorium and conference facility. Detail design has ensured that no sound pollution will be emitted from the building or its plant room to affect the surrounding gardens or the meadow.
• Large rooflights that have been incorporated to provide good quality day lighting and reduce the need for of electric light.
• External louvres provided over the roof lights to reduce driving rain noise and to prevent direct sunshine from reaching the auditorium.
• Internal blinds fitted to all windows to provide black-out facilities and to eliminate glare.
• A low-energy evaporative cooling plant is used to provide air conditioning and contribution to the Excellent BREEAM rating.

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Conservation Studio

Fronting a busy road within a tight site this studio turns its back on the road and faces the Grade 1 listed deer park wall of Magdalen College, Oxford.

The conservation studio is funded by a number of Colleges who entrust the care of their rare  manuscripts, drawings and books to the studio. The building provides bench space, a seminar area and a small library all contained within single storey extensions to an existing traditional stone cottage. The extensions are clad in finely detailed engineered oak and concealed behind a coursed limestone wall

which provides a substantial barrier from the road and enables clean air and good daylight to be drawn from the College wall side.

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