Two MICA projects recognised at Oxford Preservation Trust Awards 2018

The Queen's College - New Building Award

MICA’s subterranean library extension and restoration work for The Queen’s College received an OPT Award in the ‘New Buildings’ category, described by the judges as an “exemplary" project.

The primary challenge of the project was to double the size of the existing Queen’s College Library while preserving a historically significant, 17th century building on a very sensitive site. By expanding underground, beneath the College lawn, the expanded brief could be met in a way that allowed the library to remain in its original location. The expansion has immediately realised the benefits of additional space and enhanced study facilities that it promised, whilst also allowing the Lower Library to be liberated and returned to its mid-19C grandeur and clarity.

To read more about The Queen’s College New Library, click here.

The Hands Building - New Building Certificate

MICA’s new-build student accommodation and home for the Bonavero Institute of Human Rights – The Hands Building – picked up a certificate in the same category, praised for the landscape approach and integration of the new building into it’s historic setting.

Providing much-needed accommodation and academic space for the College, The Hands Building is a new and welcome addition to Mansfield College, incorporating 73 en-suite bedrooms, a visiting Fellow’s flat, a home for the new Bonavero Institute for Human Rights comprising office, teaching and seminar spaces, and a 160 seat shared auditorium. As well as providing beneficial new facilities, the design of the building also maximises the amount of open space and gardens for the College. By meeting the high aspirations for quality from all involved, the building has provided Mansfield with excellent value and offers numerous advantages to the campus as a whole by opening up to the public and improving connections across the site.

To read more about The Hands Building, click here.