Two new buildings, the William Doo Undergraduate Centre and the Dr Lee Shau Kee Building, built by Oxford builders Beard at the centre of Wadham College’s historic Oxford site will be inaugurated this month.
The new buildings will create a state-of-the art Undergraduate Centre on the Wadham site, as well as an Access Centre to accommodate the increasing number of visiting school students attending access and outreach events such as summer schools and aspiration days. The Undergraduate Centre is a recognition of the huge importance of social spaces in today’s universities. The centre combines a junior common room, café and bar and beautiful daylit work areas.
The Access Centre is an ambitious investment in the future. The building that prospective students will call home for three or four days at a time is designed to encourage pupils from all backgrounds to aspire to an Oxford education. On the ground floor is a suite of light-filled seminar rooms and a music room while the top floors contain student accommodation.
The development is part of Wadham’s Access to Excellence programme where students are supported at every step of their educational journey, from the moment they consider applying to University, through their time at Oxford and on into their careers.
This project has resulted in the creation of a truly inspirational learning, living and working space. As a team, not only did we have to draw on our extensive experience of working on educational spaces in Oxford, but also our knowledge and expertise in complex construction projects. In common with all our projects over the past 12 months, we’ve had to adapt due to the coronavirus restrictions, but that has not had a significant impact on the progress of the build. It’s another fine example of working in collaboration with the customer to realise their vision for a place for learning, that is both fit for purpose and fit for the future.”
These wonderful new buildings make real our twin desires: to reflect the beauty of our ancient site and to symbolise our College’s determination to engage with confidence in the promise of the modern world. The William Doo Undergraduate Centre and Dr Lee Shau Kee Building now stand as graceful and pure marks of our continuing belief in the harmony that exists between learning and beauty, which our quadrangles, lawns and gardens express so well.
The buildings were designed by architects AL_A.
Amanda Levete, Principal, AL_A, said: “These two buildings are designed to radiate
openness. Modest in scale, but high in aspiration, they express the liberal and egalitarian
values of the College and create a sense of belonging for students and staff. Reflecting
changes in the way students work and socialise, they are open and transparent, and use
the life of the College to animate the buildings.”