{"id":196907,"date":"2025-10-13T11:01:13","date_gmt":"2025-10-13T11:01:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/196907\/"},"modified":"2025-10-13T11:01:13","modified_gmt":"2025-10-13T11:01:13","slug":"wright-wright-completes-library-expansion-for-corpus-christi-oxford","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/196907\/","title":{"rendered":"Wright & Wright completes library expansion for Corpus Christi Oxford"},"content":{"rendered":"

The extension modernises the library, which no longer met the needs of the university\u2019s staff and students.<\/p>\n

It includes 55 new reader spaces, six dedicated research desks and just under 2,000m of archival shelving \u2013 as well as consolidating the college\u2019s special collections in an environmentally controlled core.<\/p>\n

Corpus Christi\u2019s special collections are of international significance and contain more than 20,000 early printed books and 546 manuscripts, including works by Galileo, Erasmus and the Venerable Bede.<\/p>\n

The project also marks the first time in the college\u2019s 508-year history that step-free access has been created to the historic library, opening the space to all.<\/p>\n

The building\u2019s constrained site has undergone many transformations over the years. First built as the president\u2019s lodgings in the 17th century, it is the most altered part of the college. With only the eastern wing of the original structure remaining, the site was suited for the new library.<\/p>\n

The Spencer Building is framed by three historic features: the medieval City Wall to the west, a listed fa\u00e7ade facing the Garden Quad to the east, and the college\u2019s old library to the south.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Historic fabric has been retained on three elevations, while a refined new limestone fa\u00e7ade on Oriel Square replaces a 1950s garage.<\/p>\n

The fa\u00e7ade was inspired by the college\u2019s distinctive windows, which traditionally mark key social spaces, including the hall and chapel. A large library window has been placed within it.<\/p>\n

Inside, a new staircase is aligned on axis with the old library. The new library has views both towards the old library\u2019s end wall and the chapel\u2019s stained-glass window.<\/p>\n

Designed to Passivhaus standards in collaboration with Max Fordham, the archive has been placed in a highly insulated, airtight concrete bunker built against the city wall. This harnesses the wall\u2019s thermal mass to create stable low-energy environmental conditions for the collections.<\/p>\n

The building\u2019s east side has the naturally lit reader spaces with triple-glazed windows. Three reading rooms spread over three floors offer varied working conditions, from intimate to collaborative, each with views over the garden quad.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

All furniture is bespoke and made of oak and brass in keeping with the rest of the college.<\/p>\n

The building is all electric: there are PVs on the roof, along with a highly efficient mechanical ventilation system with heat recovery for maintaining air quality. Space heating is provided via a ground-source heat pump.<\/p>\n

It is fully accessible with provision for wheelchair users, power-assisted doors and accessible toilets throughout. The step-free route includes level access at the entrance, a lift behind the main staircase providing access to all floors, and a wheelchair-accessible study space within the old library, equipped with a rise-and-fall desk.<\/p>\n

Corpus Christi College was founded in 1517 and is one of the University of Oxford\u2019s oldest and smallest colleges. It is located south of the city centre, and is home to around 265 undergraduates and 130 graduate students.<\/p>\n

Berman Guedes Stretton (BGS) won approval<\/a> for earlier plans for a special collection archive at the college back in 2015. However, Wright & Wright was then commissioned for the project in 2019, winning planning in 2020<\/a>. Work started on site in 2021.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Architect\u2019s view<\/p>\n

Existing elements and conditions were a starting point, not a constraint. The Spencer Building emerges from Corpus\u2019s historic fabric, generating unexpected synergies and introducing sustainable, inclusive and forward-looking spaces.
Clare Wright, founding partner, Wright & Wright Architects<\/p>\n

\u00a0\"\"<\/p>\n

Client\u2019s view<\/p>\n

At Corpus, we are always mindful of our responsibilities as custodians of our college\u2019s history and also its future. In that light, we are delighted at the news that the Spencer Building has secured full Passivhaus accreditation. This achievement truly embodies our vision of encompassing simultaneously the best of the old and the best of the new.
Helen Moore, president, Corpus Christi College Oxford<\/p>\n

\u00a0\"\"<\/p>\n

Project data<\/p>\n

Location Oxford
Completion date September 2025
Gross internal floor area 479m2
Construction cost Undisclosed
Architect Wright & Wright Architects
Principal design advisor Stroma Group
Client Corpus Christi College
Structural engineer Alan Baxter Associates
M&E consultant Max Fordham
Building services engineer Max Fordham
Passivhaus designer Max Fordham
Passivhaus certifier WARM
Quantity surveyor\u00a0Ridge & Partners
Strategic project manager Synergy Construction & Property Consultants
Catering consultant Ridge & Partners
Main contractor Kingerlee<\/p>\n

Environmental performance data<\/p>\n

Percentage of floor area with daylight factor >2% Not supplied
Percentage of floor area with daylight factor >5% Not supplied
On-site energy generation Not supplied
Annual mains water consumption Not supplied
Airtightness at 50Pa 0.56 m3\/h.m2
Heating and hot water load Not supplied
Operational energy 15 kWh\/m2\/yr (predicted)
Total energy load Not supplied
Overall area-weighted U-value Floors: 0.10 W\/m2K, walls: 0.15 W\/m2K, roof: 0.11 W\/m2K
Predicted design life 60 years
Embodied carbon Not supplied
Whole-life carbon Not supplied
Annual CO2 emissions Not supplied<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The extension modernises the library, which no longer met the needs of the university\u2019s staff and students. It…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":196908,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[31],"tags":[6225,6485,6486,1120,96,56,54,55],"class_list":["post-196907","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-arts-and-design","tag-arts","tag-arts-and-design","tag-artsanddesign","tag-design","tag-entertainment","tag-uk","tag-united-kingdom","tag-unitedkingdom"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/196907","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=196907"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/196907\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/196908"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=196907"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=196907"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=196907"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}