Practice beats five others to Exeter College job
Nex Architecture has emerged victorious in the design competition to revamp the grade II-listed library of Oxford University鈥檚 Exeter College 鈥� beating Carmody Groarke, Coffey Architects and Gort Scott in the process.
The practice鈥檚 proposals for the Oxford college鈥檚 neo-gothic library, designed by George Gilbert Scott in the 1850s, were described as displaying an unbeatable combination of 鈥渢alent, insight and rigour鈥� by Exeter rector Rick Trainor.
Trainor said the six-strong shortlist 鈥� which also included Jonathan Tuckey Design and Lee/Fitzgerald 鈥� as 鈥渟tellar鈥�, but that Nex had been the team that 鈥渕ost connected鈥� with the challenges posed by the project.
The library counts Lord of the Rings author JRR Tolkien among its most famous past users and Nex鈥檚 proposals include the introduction of a new mezzanine level in the building鈥檚 annexe to boost reader spaces and accessibility.
The project will also involve essential repairs to the library鈥檚 fabric and service upgrades. A planning application is expected to be submitted for the scheme next year.
The selection process was organised by Malcolm Reading Consultants.
No comments yet