At the heart of Oxford’s historic core, Gilbert Scott’s 1940s New Bodleian Library is a vital resource for academic research. In 2006 Wilkinson Eyre was appointed to refurbish the library as a new cultural and intellectual landmark.
A particularly exciting aspect of the project is the opening up of the building to allow more public access and engagement in the activities within. This will include the creation of new spaces for a programme of exhibitions and seminars drawing on the extraordinary resources of the Bodleian’s collections.
The design works with, rather than against, Scott’s robust design, reinvigorating the space with an improved circulation diagram – for both book retrieval and user movement – and creating a number of contemporary interventions, including a spectacular reading room at roof level.
Start on August 2011, Completion Saturday 21 March. Source by Wilkinson Eyre Architects.
Location: Oxford, UK
Architect: Wilkinson Eyre Architects
Structural Engineer: Pell Frischmann
Mechanical & Electrical Engineer: Hurley Palmer Flatt
Construction Cost: £ 80 Million
M&E Consultant: Hurley Palmer Flatt
Qs: Ec Harris
Main Contractor: Mace Ltd
Client: University of Oxford
Area: 18,600 m2
Year: Opening date March 2015
Photographs: Ascott Park, John Cairns, Will Pryce. All images Courtesy of Wilkinson Eyre Architects