Insight 2017

Michaelmas 2017 12
the garden and the new private lodgings from the west
(Library) end. Most importantly, the new roof light and all
interventions are invisible in the long view to the west
elevation and statues of the existing Library.
Queen’s with a number of opportunities to reconfigure and
extend for future use.
The build
Construction of the new building commenced in spring 2015
and ran for 89 weeks through two kind winters completing in
spring 2017.
The main contractor, Beard, are a very experienced and skilled
local company with a great deal of experience working in
collegiate Oxford – and specifically at Queen’s, having
completed the kitchen project in 2009. Their expertise and
familiarity assisted in the two major challenges of the build:
getting material to and from the site and digging a large hole
that was both very close to and beneath existing historic listed
structures.
View of the new garden from the Provost’s Lodgings—looking toward the
library
The garden provides two terraces, a circuit of paths and a
variety of new beds and space for a vegetable garden and new
garden store. The paths and ramps make all areas of the
garden accessible to wheelchair users. The below ground
structure and overall garden design has been carefully
configured to safeguard the existing magnificent copper beech
tree which has been carefully protected throughout and we are
pleased to say is prospering in its new setting.
The challenge of building close to existing structures involved
much careful design
work, as well as
buildability studies
being carried out by
the design team
before the project got
to site. Regular
movement checking
was completed in
advance of going on
site to ensure no
damaging movement
of the existing walls,
Library or Lodgings
was taking place.
The forming of the
piles and internal
concrete box was a
careful and steady
process of piling, The new basement level in its early stages
digging, supporting,
backfilling, bracing and finally - with the lid - forming a rigid
waterproof concrete box. The careful iterative process of
building in-the-ground was particularly acute in forming the
link between the new building and Lower Library, where a
bespoke design was used to tunnel beneath the existing
Library footings forming a new basement 5m below the
functioning Library.
Aerial view of the construction site where the garden was replanted
Fitting out the building
Choosing fixtures and fittings for a building is always an added
pleasure for architects and we have greatly enjoyed being
involved in designing the tables, insignias, manifestations, and
fixed furniture together with selecting the new reading chairs,
and other details.
Elsewhere
Benefitting the wider College, the project frees-up 4500sqft for
reuse. Liberated spaces include an extensive basement and
above ground spaces on Front and Back Quad providing
The waterproof box was completed with the installation of 4
super-sized frameless glass roof lights along the eastern edge.
These enormous pieces were carefully manoeuvered into place
by a number of cranes and small lifting machines in early 2017
to finally seal the new building.
The fit-out of the building was no less complex than the
structural works with extensive special fittings to be concealed
and accommodated. The invisibility of air-conditioning,
heating and other services is the result of careful coordination
between joinery and environmental design where the new
shelving often straddles low-level ducts, and grilles. At the top
of shelves, extract ventilation occurs together with much of