DRAWINGS of a new £150 million University of Oxford building have been published for the first time.
A second public consultation for the university’s Stephen A. Schwarzman Centre for the Humanities was launched last week, with images of the building released.
The centre has been made possible by a £150 million donation to the university from Stephen Schwarzman – a friend of Donald Trump – who is reportedly worth more than £20 billion.
Feedback on the consultation is sought by July 8, ahead of a planning application being submitted to Oxford City Council later this year.
If it gets the green light, the building will be situated at the Radcliffe Observatory Quarter between Walton Street and Woodstock Road.
Author Philip Pullman set the His Dark Material trilogy in Oxford, with the fictional Jordan College on the site of the Schwarzman Centre.
He backed the centre, saying: “The Schwarzman Centre for the Humanities will be an exciting and distinguished addition to the architecture of this beautiful city, and what it embodies about the central place of humanities in the world of learning needs demonstrating now more than ever.
“I look forward to seeing it flourish.”
Read more: ‘Amazeballs’ added to the Oxford English Dictionary
Mr Schwarzman is the chairman and co-founder of investment firm, Blackstone.
The university says the centre will ‘boost teaching and research in the humanities at Oxford and provide a new home to Oxford’s humanities’.
Seven faculties will be brought together, with new performance venues set to be created.
These include a 500-seat concert hall, a 250-seat theatre and a 100-seat Black Box lab for experimental performance.
Furthermore, a schools and public engagement centre will allow school pupils to have direct contact with humanities researchers.
See also: Students explore African artefacts through new community project
Karen O’Brien, head of humanities at the university, said: “Our proposed design reflects our ambition to create a welcoming building that people will be intrigued to visit.
“This will be an open building which we hope will soon become a popular destination for residents of our city and county.
“We look forward to inviting everyone in to attend our events and performances, or simply meet a friend in the cafe.
“We welcome all feedback on our proposal and we will work closely with the city council as we develop our vision ahead of the planning submission later this year.”
William Whyte, professor of Architectural History at Oxford, added: “This is a building of enormous complexity and huge ambition.
“Designed by a world-leading architectural practice, it will also be beautiful – a new home for the humanities, a new public space for the people of Oxford, and an inspirational addition to the city’s architecture.”
The initial public consultation ran from November 18 to December 9.
To take part in the current consultation, please visit: schwarzmancentre.ox.ac.uk/buildingconsultation
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel