Transforming our Site
The Pavilion and Anniversary Building were completed at the start of 2021 and we were delighted when the first student residents moved into their accommodation. We have enjoyed welcoming members and friends of St Hilda's to our transformed site and look forward to continuing to do so. As this important work is concluded, we welcome your involvement in shaping a new era for St Hilda’s. Find out how you can make a gift to St Hilda's 125th anniversary campaign.
See our transformed site
Take a look around our new buildings and redesigned grounds with this film by Jim Stephenson with photos by Peter Cook. Our Acting Principal, Dr Georgina Paul, is in conversation with Jay Gort of Gort Scott architects about how the project began and evolved and what it has meant for the College. Many thanks to everyone who worked with us on our new buildings, including Gort Scott architects and Beard Construction. You can find out more about how it all started with our project timeline.
Aims and Objectives
We embarked on a major redevelopment of accommodation and facilities for our students and staff on the College site in 2018. Undertaken in two phases, the building programme aimed to enhance significantly the experience of St Hilda’s as a place to study, live, and work. Our initial phase of building work, which was completed in early 2021, has transformed the front of the College site. It includes a new Anniversary Building (replacing the old Porters’ Lodge and Middle Common Room) and a Pavilion (replacing Milham Ford). The building programme necessitated the move of our Chapel from Milham Ford building when it was demolished to a temporary location elsewhere in College. With input from the JCR, MCR and SCR, St Hilda's Governing Body decided to create a multi-faith room. The Sanctuary is an inviting and inclusive space, to which all members of College are welcome. The decision reflects St Hilda’s commitment to inclusivity.
Our redevelopment aims to provide a college room for all undergraduate students for the duration of their degree. The first phase includes a new Middle Common Room for graduate students and provides new, high-quality teaching, office and social spaces. The new Porters’ Lodge and main entrance has revitalised the College's profile on Cowley Place. Redesigned gardens will embed the buildings in the distinctive green space of St Hilda’s riverside setting.
Sustainability
We are reducing the polluting emissions from heat and power in our new buildings. The buildings' form and fabric will help inherently to control their internal climate. Thus, the demand for heating or cooling required to create comfortable work and living spaces will be reduced. This has helped to strip back many technological add-ons from the outset.
Natural ventilation is provided by openable windows. The windows’ sizes and deep-reveal depths also help to regulate and optimise daylight and sunlight penetration. The 3D modelling of the Pavilion led to refinement of the precast concrete fin sizes to optimise shading windows from sunlight around midday and in the early afternoon.
The exposed concrete structure of the Anniversary Building and our natural ventilation strategy means that it will avoid overheating without the use of mechanical cooling systems. As the concrete has a high thermal mass, energy is slowly absorbed or released stabilising temperatures throughout the day.
A standalone Combined Heat and Power (CHP) system that is sized and controlled to meet the hot water baseloads of the new accommodation can deliver carbon and cost savings. By using waste heat from electricity generation, the integral inefficiency due to transmission of the electricity can be improved. The high hot water usage for student accommodation means that hot water generation represents a significant demand for energy throughout the year. Combined heat and power systems are recognized as capable of delivering significant energy and carbon savings compared with the separate generation of heat and power.
Using a central CHP engine to provide heating and hot water loads, the use of natural ventilation, and high thermal mass combine to make possible a 23.2% overall energy offset by low and zero carbon technologies. By doing this, we are also achieving a 10.5% reduction in CO2 emissions.
Project Updates
We have provided regular updates on our building project and our progress towards its completion. Follow the links below for further information.
Oxford has become one of the least affordable cities in the UK for housing... a College room can be as effective as a bursary, saving a student more than £1,500 over an academic year.