The college quad is activated but not dominated by the addition
Wright & Wright Architects for Magdalen College, Oxford
Contract value: Confidential
GIA: 1,020m²
This project repairs the old Buckler building and adds a new semi-subterranean library to expand and modernise the library facilities. The new entrance and reading rooms are a plinth in the landscape, so the college quad is activated but not dominated by the addition. Carefully detailed oak furniture, book stacks and study areas create a studious atmosphere.
In the Buckler building a new stair to the old entrance space gives access to a new ‘three-storey’ volume for a book stack, reading room and study areas. For the passive ventilation strategy, old chimneys are used as additional vent ducts: a clever but unobtrusive way of meeting environmental guidance.
Regional Conservation Award
See the other winners of the RIBA Regional Awards 2017 - South