Oxford | Extension to the Middle East Centre at St Anthony’s | Zaha Hadid

[JVS]

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” Zaha Hadid Architects has revealed designs for an extension to the Middle East Centre at St Anthony’s College, Oxford.

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centre occupies two historic buildings in a Victorian suburb, and Hadid’s scheme aims to link the pair.
Set over three storeys, the Softbridge Building, which is at a pre-planning stage, is clad in composite glass, which can take a variety of finishes, and will be fabricated off site.

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A model of the scheme, which was exhibited before Christmas, met with concern from the Oxfordshire Architectural & Historical Society and the Oxford Civic Society. They questioned whether the design was appropriate for the context.

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The scheme features reception and exhibition areas on the ground floor, accessed via a semi-sunken forecourt. The main reading room will be on the first floor, along with the storage area for the library, while the library itself will be on the second floor.
A basement area will boast further storage space and a state-of-the-art lecture hall.
The design also features a series of skylights to increase natural daylight in the library, while the south-facing facade of the archive reading room has fritted glass windows which control solar gain.”

in http://architecturelab.wordpress.com/2008/01/23/hadids-oxford-union/