FJMT to reshape iconic Oxford University building

Australian architecture practice Francis-Jones Morehen Thorp (FJMT) will refurbish and extend a building on Oxford University’s historic UK campus. The building was originally designed by UK architect Sir Leslie Martin, who was closely associated with the International Style, and completed in 1971.

The Tinbergen Building, a six-storey precast concrete structure, is located in the university’s science area and has undergone a number of expansions since its completion in 1971. The new design aims to restore the integrity of the original building using distinctive design features including a grid/frame, stacked modular bars, horizontal elements that “float” above the ground plane and concrete portals with a horizontal infill of white concrete precast cladding.

FJMT’s refurbishment of the building will include additions to its southern side and the introduction of pods to the existing terraces. Pods were added to the building in both the early 1990s and in 2004, and the new project will aim to restore the symmetry of the original building by replacing four of those pods and introducing seven new ones.

The project will incorporate the improvement of the building’s entrance, the creation of an undergraduate student hub and new teaching laboratories for the chemistry department.

The refurbishment will also re-establish the building’s stepped profile and restore the symmetry reflected in the original floor plan of the building, which was defined by two symmetrical wings that each had three “fingers.”

UK-based practice Purcell Heritage Consultants also formed part of the project team, advising on the project’s heritage elements.

The first phase of construction began in February 2016 and the expected completion date for the project is mid-2017.

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