College’s 300-year-old existing library said to be no longer fit for ‘modern academic use’
Wilmotte & Associés Architectes has submitted plans to build a new contemporary library building for Worcester College at the University of Oxford.
The Paris-based practice has unveiled detailed plans for the Sir Lindsay Owen-Jones Library, which would be built on the college grounds on a site currently occupied by a car park and part of an orchard.
The college’s existing library has been housed in a neo-classical building designed by George Clarke and Nicholas Hawksmoor since the early 18th century.
But the practice said in planning documents that the facilities in the grade I-listed building “no longer provide the level of accessibility, capacity, and functionality required for modern academic use”.
It said the new two-storey scheme aimed to complement the existing library while providing a “sustainable, inclusive, and adaptable facility for future generations”.
The proposed building is a lightweight structure built from Clipsham stone, with a large cantilevered flat roof, timber shutters and glazed curtain walls with views into the college’s orchard.
Wilmotte & Associés Architectes said the design “carefully considers its sensitive historic context, establishing a respectful relationship with Worcester College’s architectural and landscape heritage”.
Worcester College is the client with the project team including landscape architect MRG Studio, engineer WSP, cost consultant Drees & Sommer, planning consultant Ridge & Partners and heritage consultant Donald Insall Associates.
Wilmotte & Associés Architectes was founded by Jean-Michel Wilmotte in 1975 with its best known projects including the Allianz Riviera Stadium in Nice, the Station F office campus in Paris and Grand Palais Éphémère, a temporary events venue built on the Champ-de-Mars in 2021.
Its UK projects include the 6 Pancras Square office building in King’s Cross, which has been occupied by Google since 2016.
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