Blue Boar Quad
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A seminal Modernist building, Blue Boar is a residential quad designed for Christ Church in 1968 by acclaimed British architects Powell & Moya. It is now listed Grade II*. Since its completion, the building was plagued by leaking roofs, cracking stone cladding and services failure.
We were appointed as architects and lead consultants to repair, refurbish and extend the Quad to provide a new lecture theatre, extra student accommodation, en suite bathrooms, new archive facilities and disabled access. The client required a solution that would not only improve the building’s performance, maximise the use of space and create development opportunities but also gain statutory approval.
Our scheme has reduced planned repairs to preserve the building’s listed fabric, releasing funds for a high-performance 130-seat lecture theatre and archive and an extra floor of student rooms at roof level.
- Architecture
- Building Surveying
- Conservation
- Education
- Funding Advice
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The building before conservation and alterations. At an early stage, major structural interventions were envisaged.
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The team prepared a conservation management plan and feasibility study, concluding that the repairs should be reduced to safeguard the listed fabric and release funds for new facilities.
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The site is in the middle of Oxford near the high street where parking and access was highly restrictive. We worked closely with the highways authority to agree suitable routes and access to the building.
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We provided access to the lecture theatre, green room, public toilets, break out space and server. In addition a new level pathway was introduced linking the quad with other accessible areas of the college.
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The new lecture theatre was inserted into an existing space. It provides a 130-seat multipurpose space to allow for speeches and acoustic music.
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The space had to provide variable acoustics for the different uses. We worked closely with the sound engineer to get variable uses.
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The lecture theatre has 100 fixed seats with flexible space for 30 removable seats. An AV link was set up to an external theatre and a break out room where the event in the lecture theatre can be projected.
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Our design approach achieved significant savings were achieved in relation to cladding and space planning issues related to the archive and other spaces.
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The most important aspect of sustainability was the thermal upgrading of the building. We also introduced heat recovery ventilation, roof insulation and double-glazed windows as a replacement for the single-glazing.
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The demands of the brief were adeptly balanced to ensure that the limited budget was most effectively put to work. Crucial funding was attracted from Christ Church’s alumni by the inventive incorporation of the new lecture theatre.