Back in 2010, CBG consultants were involved with the refurbishment at Balliol College, which entailed the creation of a new document archive facility for the 13th Century church.
The project won the Oxford Preservation award as a result of innovative planning and careful consideration of the delicate fabric of the building.
Since 2012, we have seen a great amount of growth in our Heritage portfolio of projects. We have worked on multiple heritage sites ranging from Grade I through to UNESCO World Heritage.
In 2012, we were employed to carry out services in aid of the £1.35M refurbishment of Queens College, one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford. It was founded in 1341 and the Library is now one of the largest of any Oxford Colleges, with a lending collection of 50,000 volumes and nearly 150,000 volumes in the historical collection. The building embodies the finest of details, structurally characterising Baroque Architecture and the Romano-British culture of its era.
The brief called for the minimization of the impact of any plant on the historical building, utilizing the most sustainable solutions whilst ensuring its sensitive architectural integrity remains intact. The new services include sophisticated environment controls and modern services which will improve conditions for the books now and in the furniture. In addition, these will provide much improved conditions for readers.
The second project on the awards nomination list is St’ John’s College, founded in 1555 by Sir Thomas White. The Hall was built in 1502 and is located in the west end of the north range in Front Quad with the main entrance from St Giles’ to the west.
This £1M project involved replacing existing secondary glazing to the seven windows in the St Bernard’s Hall at St John’s College, the repair of the leaded external windows, replacing the Hall’s interior lighting and audio installations and redecoration. With careful planning and close liaison with the project team, the scheme was successfully delivered.
The OPT Conservation Awards evening is due to take place in early November and we are all very eager to find out the results!
Back to News & KnowledgeSince 2012, we have seen a great amount of growth in our Heritage portfolio of projects. We have worked on multiple heritage sites ranging from Grade I through to UNESCO World Heritage.
Chris Dicks