Student Housing, Somerville College, Oxford - AJ Specification
November 2012
Text Níall McLaughlin Architects
Images Nick Kane, Níall McLaughlin Architects
Brick Awards Special Issue
The intention was to form an extension to the existing listed buildings of Somerville College and give a new frontage onto the Radcliffe Observatory Quarter. The concept for the two buildings to overlook the street draws on Pevsner’s analysis of Oxford’s picturesque, episodic Queen’s Lane. Building elements are used to frame and terminate short vistas.
The window units are pushed out from the facade, a contemporary restatement of the themes of Sir Phillip Dawson’s Wolfson Building in Somerville College. This allows oblique views up and down the street, through side windows and maximizes the natural light entering the rooms. The buildings use local bricks, European oak and concrete containing GGBS. The project has been designed to achieve BREEAM ‘Very Good’ rating.