The Clore Music Rooms New College, University of Oxford Building, English Architecture Images
The Clore Music Rooms, New College, University of Oxford
Oxfordshire Higher Education Studios Development, England – design byJohn McAslan + Partners (JMP)
18 June 2019
The Clore Music Rooms, New College, University of Oxford Building
Design: John McAslan + Partners (JMP), Architects
Location: New College, Oxford, England, United Kingdom
The Clore Music Rooms, New College, University of Oxford Building
John McAslan + Partners (JMP) has completed The Clore Music Rooms for students of New College, University of Oxford, providing a range of high-performance spaces for the practice, study and enjoyment of music, opera and drama.
Photos by Hufton+Crow
Set within the heart of the city’s Central Conservation Area, a key aim of the new stone-clad building has been to increase the visibility and awareness of the site’s 17th-century ramparts, which were built to defend Oxford during the English Civil War.
Michael Burden, Fellow in Music, New College Professor of Opera Studies, University of Oxford, comments: “The Clore Music Studios are already playing a transformative role in the musical life of New College. They offer all the College’s junior members for the first time the gift of dedicated space for both individual and group practice.
The David Mann and Anne Kriken Mann Rehearsal Studio has already hosted a range of large-scale activities, including orchestra sectional rehearsals, the University’s “Out of the Blue” vocal group, two days of medieval scholarship and performance led by one of the College’s senior members, and the College’s current bagpiping undergraduate, who has thoroughly tested the building’s sound proofing! The spaces are light, elegant, and a joy to work in.”
John McAslan, Executive Chairman, John McAslan + Partners: “Our intention was to impart a sense of delight – creating a series of light-filled rehearsal spaces for the University’s extraordinarily talented music students. Our building is both sympathetic to its historic context and yet undeniably contemporary.”
Organised as a three storey solid stone finished box, the building is linked to the existing Savile House with a glazed entrance and circulation space, providing clarity to both new and existing buildings. To complement the existing scale of buildings, the height of the stone volume aligns with the eaves level of Savile House, and the partial sinking of the ground floor allows a large double-height rehearsal space to be created without impacting on the overall height of the building.
The upper floors accommodate two medium-size studios for the rehearsal of chamber music, and several practice rooms for solo or duo rehearsal.
A high-quality palette of materials has been utilised – including Portland stone cladding, bronze anodized aluminium metalwork and oak acoustic wall linings – to complement and contribute to the character of the local conservation area. Large amounts of glazing provide the ground floor rehearsal space with a direct visual connection to the street, enabling views through the building and maximising natural daylight.
The design was developed closely with Oxford City Council’s Local Planning and Conservation officers and Archaeologist, to ensure a fully considered response which best utilised the rich opportunities presented by JMP’s proposal, particularly in relation to the presence of the Civil War ramparts.
The Clore Music Rooms, New College, University of Oxford – Building Information
Project Team
Architect and landscape architect: John McAslan + Partners
Structural Engineer: Renaissance
Services Engineer: Hoare Lea
Quantity Surveyor: Austin Newport Group
Planning Consultant: Barton Wilmore
Acoustic Consultant: Sandy Brown Associates
Archaeologist: Oxford Archaeology
Photographs: Hufton+Crow
Completed Higher education projects by John McAslan + Partners include the School of Oriental and African Studies (University of London), Goldsmiths College (London) and the Universities of Lancaster and Manchester. JMP’s Engineering Building at Lancaster University, completed in 2015, has won three RIBA awards, as well as winning the British Construction Industry’s ‘Project of the Year’ Award.
The Clore Music Rooms, New College, University of Oxford images / information Received 180619
John McAslan + Partners
Location: New College, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
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