University of Oxford
Extensive new studio and workshop spaces (Spratley & Partners, 2015)
Substantial new facilities for the Ruskin School of Art (founded in 1871), enabling the School to double in size and show its work to the public. The semi-industrial building includes a double height exhibition and performance space fronting the street, behind a ‘smart glass’ window that can act as a display screen. There are dedicated spaces for media and film-editing, printmaking and etching, and sculpture, together with workshops, studio spaces and offices.
Larger than the neighbouring houses, the new building still sits comfortably in the mixed residential and commercial environment of the Cowley Road area. Buff-coloured brick and grey and black metal finishes reflect the mid-century modern aesthetic of industrial buildings in the vicinity, yet with a distinctly contemporary edge.
RIBA South Region Award, 2016; OPT Award 2016
NEW OXFORD ARCHITECTURE 