Out of an initial field of
sixty competitors, Rafael Viñoly Architects won the opportunity to master plan
the historic 10.5-acre (4.25 hectare) Radcliffe Observatory Quarter site for
the University of Oxford. The site, located approximately one kilometer north
of the city center, features a number of historically significant buildings,
some of which had been obscured by later construction. The master plan removes
these obsolete structures to restore the prominence of the historic buildings
and to create space for new university development. In contrast to a
traditional two-dimensional master plan that functions as a purely zoning tool,
the scheme instead maximizes the available space—more than the university first
requested—by proposing a three-dimensional grid of academic, social, and
infrastructural integration, both above and below grade.The master plan creates a
network of blocks and streets that radiate outward from the Radcliffe
Observatory. Throughout the site, curb-less paving creates a shared space for
pedestrians, bicyclists, and service and emergency vehicles, with priority
given to pedestrians. Two primary east-west corridors provide access through
the site: a northern route with a parkland character skirts the observatory,
while a southern, urban route passes alongside the wall of the adjacent
Somerville College campus.The streets carve the site into eleven blocks of new
construction, for which the plan defines three-dimensional building envelopes
with setbacks and massing that are sensitive to the surrounding historic
context. Three-story blocks along
the perimeter of the site step up to five stories at the center of each
envelope. Available space is
maximized by excavating two stories below grade, including a below-ground
library that looks out to a large crescent-shaped sunken garden through a
sloped, two-story glazed curtain wall. This curtain wall, in tandem with the
central atria specified in most blocks, brings light deep into the subterranean
levels to create underground linkages between buildings.In addition to the sunken garden at the foot of the
Radcliffe Observatory, the plan also creates green open space with refurbished
courtyards around the Radcliffe Infirmary building. Landscaping, permeable
pavement, and green roofs add a sustainable dimension to the site.
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