In 2022 we were shortlisted in an invited competition at Magdalen College, Oxford.
The brief was to redevelop the Waynflete building to provide undergraduate student accommodation, teaching facilities, music rooms and a multi-purpose space. As Magdalen had high sustainability ambitions, we considered the merits of retaining the existing structure and/or recycling elements of it to lower its carbon footprint.
Built in the 1960s, the Waynflete building has a blocky appearance and low floor-to-ceiling heights. It sits by the river, so improving the landscape was fundamental to people’s enjoyment of their new environment too. The scope included two bridges to connect the site to the rest of Magdalen’s estate.
Our design sought to be timeless, well crafted, and contextual. These diagrams show some of the thinking behind our design process.
