College welcomes Oxford City Council planning decision
Green Templeton College, University of Oxford, is pleased to have secured planning permission from Oxford City Council on Tuesday 23 January 2024 for a series of projects incorporating the Radcliffe Observatory at its main site on Woodstock Road.
The college needs to improve its main accommodation, academic and social facilities having grown its student numbers significantly since its current estate was developed for then-Green College (fewer than 200 people, college now has nearly 700 students among its wider community). The site masterplan, created by Feilden Fowles, has the ambition to create an attractive learning environment and support the success and welfare of the college community.
The approved scheme, which will be built to Passivhaus Standard and reduce the sitewide carbon emissions by over 40%, comprises:
- Three new purpose-built accommodation buildings
- A fit-for-purpose dining hall in a new building including social, meeting and conference spaces
- Returning the magnificent Radcliffe Observatory back to being a study space, including library
- A new, improved Lodge and associated office facilities
- A new single-storey café and informal study space
- A permanent sports facility
- A series of landscape interventions designed by Dan Pearson Studio, complementing the new buildings and enhancing the existing gardens resulting in a biodiversity net gain of over 16%
The masterplan integrates with the Radcliffe Observatory conservation and decarbonisation project that the college is in the process of launching to coincide with the recent 250th anniversary of the first astronomical observations at the building.
Proposed new courtyard in former walled garden
Planning for new accommodation, a new dining hall, café and the permanent gym building has been ongoing for a number of years and has incorporated feedback from generations of students and the local community in the city of Oxford. Refurbishment options for the existing 1980s Doll Building and entrance were tested, but were determined to not fulfil requirements; the scale, construction type and low floor-to-ceiling heights of the building make them difficult to repurpose. Material will be reused where possible for the construction of the new dining hall.
These plans for a series of projects to be undertaken over the coming years show a significant level of ambition. The college will need to secure new capital investment from external supporters and partners to deliver them.
Proposed new Dining Room
For more information, or if you have any questions about the plans, contact Bursar Dr Tim Clayden.
Proposed site plan
About Feilden Fowles
Feilden Fowles is an award-winning London-based architecture practice, founded in 2009. Committed to a low-tech approach, the practice delivers socially and environmentally sustainable buildings across a variety of sectors. Feilden Fowles aims to make architecture that is rich in character and distinct in identity, while seeking simple and holistic solutions with an ambition to achieve net zero carbon buildings. Their buildings emerge from legible design concepts which inform the detailing and construction processes. Projects are underpinned by a strategy of longevity over short-termism, using robust yet adaptable structures and simple but beautiful materials.
