Somerville, Oxford, was originally a women-only college built on the outskirts of a city, like an outlaw at times when women in higher education were uncommon.

Radcliffe Infirmary was moved to the area, creating a push for redevelopment. In 2003 the expansion was halted, moving the hospital to the suburbs and selling land to the university.

2005 Rafael Viñoly Architects were commissioned to masterplan (highly criticized scheme).

Mathematical Institute (Vinoly), School of Government (Herzog de Meuron) are being added nearby.

Designed by Níall McLaughlin Architects, built in 2011.

New access to the university campus, four stair towers as gates/points of reference. 12 m wide new entrance done by demolishing existing boundary wall.

Strip 7.5 m wide - a single row of rooms with a connecting corridor.

Many elements are prefabricated to fit the university’s schedule and have minimum study disturbance, i.e., bay windows, brick piers.

Communal facilities are recessed, giving rhythm to the building.

Weak ground level interface with the street.

Key feature: timber bay windows on the brick facade.

Modern answer to 1960s brutalist building on campus (ARUP): Fry, Vaughan and later Wolfson building.

North orientation, but protruding geometry catch the sun in evenings and mornings. Bay windows are fixed, but shutters are operable for ventilation - 100 mm gap per regulations.

Solid brick was initially proposed for the top of towers but (thankfully) changed to timber after Council’s protest.

Rear wall is left in concrete as it faces the boundary. Texture was added to make corridors more inviting (using latex moulds).

Red brick matched to existing in the college — a victorian tradition of using them for institutional buildings.