The completion of this student residence is the latest milestone in over a decade of collaboration with Somerville College, in commissions for new constructions and various refurbishments, allowing a longstanding ambition to offer all its undergraduates a place to study, socialize, and rest within centrally located premises in Oxford. Sited on the west side of Somerville’s main quadrangle, beside the Wolfson Building, the project presents a scheme of three stepped volumes, a middle one of medium height and two smaller ones at either end of the plot, which align with the eaves of the surrounding structures. The three volumes are separated from the adjacent buildings, creating a new connection from Walton Street to the Fellows’ Garden. This new paved pathway shifts in scale and character, expanding or constricting with the aim of forming courtyards and rest areas for enjoyment of selected views of the garden and chapel. The dialogue with the context is also manifested through the use of hand-laid red brickwork, whilst corbelled openings with pressed metal profiles give a contemporary note and create a clear architectural identity...
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