MICA Cheng Yu Tung building, Jesus College Project Brochure

Cheng Yu Tung Building....

... a public gateway for the college to facilitate outreach and access

...breaking down silos between previous disconnected departments

...providing mixed tenure residential spaces: graduate students and visiting fellows

...enjoying external landscaped spaces arranged across multiple levels for gathering and rest

...adaptable social spaces including café, events spaces, new landscaped quad, tower room

...designing a wide range of learning spaces ranging from lone study, through group work, to gatherings of 500 in the digital hub

...reinforcing important links between the historic College site and new building to provide level access

...a historically sensitive but bold addition to Oxford’s skyline

Details

Client Name Jesus College

Address Turl St, Oxford OX1 3DW

Contact Name David Stevenson

Email david.stevenson@jesus.ox.ac.uk

Telephone 01865 279712

Scope RIBA stages 0-7 Full design service from masterplan to completion, Principal Design, POE (in progress)

Form of procurement 2-Stage Design and Build (MICA novated at Stage 5)

Contract value ~£35m

Key dates

Appointment following design competition: March 2017

Part 1 – September 2020 (Link and bike shelter)

Part 2 – February 2022 (Accommodation)

Part 3 – May 2022 (Education Spaces and Landscape)

Final completion: 26 September 2022

Team

Main Contractor BAM Construction

Project Manager Bidwells

Planning Consultant Oxford City Council

Structural Engineer Smith and Wallwork

M & E Engineer Elementa

Env. Consultant Elementa

Building Control Oxford Building Control

Quantity Surveyor Gleeds

Fire Consultant Bureau Veritas

Acoustic Consultant Auricl

Principal Designer MICA Architects

Cost Management Gleeds

Landscape architect MICA + Jeremy rye

Major sub-contractors

KLH (Cross Laminated Timber)

Szerelmey (Stone work)

Alucraft (Glazing)

“MICA are thorough, precise and innovative and a pleasure to deal, listening to our needs and working to our budgets. They have worked quickly and collaboratively and their designs have gained broad support across the City”.

- David Stevenson, Property Director, Jesus College

Cheng Yu Tung Building Project Description

MICA have recently completed a prominent and unique mixed-use building in central Oxford, the Cheng Yu Tung building for Jesus College, which brings together teaching, retail, research, NHS healthcare and student living in an outward looking third quad for the Elizabethan college.

Turning a back to a front

The scheme is a major addition to Oxford’s evolving streets and city centre providing high quality new retail space, combined with new teaching and social facilities for the student community, turning a previous unsightly back to a positive front. The building and its extensive new landscape significantly increases step-free access to the historic multi-level College and transforms the legibility and transparency, of a traditionally closed environment.

Responsive

The design of the building takes cues from the existing College architecture and context to provide a striking contemporary design in a sensitive urban context. The original College building material, Clipsham Stone, has been used, and carefully detailed to reference the existing College and provide varied facades responding to different environments. At its heart two unique communal spaces are designed to be seen from the street providing active frontage and a lantern to the space outside the building.

Working hard

The scheme is central Oxford’s first new all electric building, complemented by on site renewables with a concealed Photovoltaic array and a Ground Source Heat Pumps; these provide 40% of the buildings demand, both successfully navigating Oxfords onerous skyline and archaeological rules. Harnessing embodied carbon the scheme reuses an existing concrete structure, with the majority of new structure being carbon-negative cross laminated timber.

A rich mix

The building brings together teaching, dining, NHS healthcare, retail, socialising, faith spaces, cafe, exhibition, roof terraces, common rooms, wellbeing, study and residential, doubling the accommodation on the site and bringing together distinct functions in a complementary way.

New space

At its centre a tiered forum provides a gathering space for the College as well as a new facility for interdisciplinary digital research and immersive display and visualisation. Above a new generous entrance a gatehouse is topped by a new tower room gallery with striking views, at close quarters, across the Dreaming Spires of Oxford and a new landscaped Market Street.

Setting and College need

Cornmarket Street 2016

Historic buildings surround the College’s second quad

Jesus College is uniquely located in the heart of the Oxford city centre, between Turl Street, Ship Street, Cornmarket Street and Market Street.

From the outset, the aim was to design an environmentally sustainable building that would enhance the public realm in area of the city centre so rich in history but which had suffered a significant drop in footfall in recent years. The College also wanted to become more outward-facing; reducing the physical barriers between the local community (and visitors to Oxford), and people who live and work in its buildings; and

providing a new venue for public events, exhibitions, performances and conferences in the city.

Working in conjunction with the College’s Strategic Plan 2017 – 2021, MICA developed designs to meet the College’s ambitious targets for expanding and enhancing the core academic priorities and purpose of the College.

A strategic masterplan for the College was followed by concept work for key new developments, spaces and landscape designs.

Northgate House

Fellows’ Garden Fellows’ Library

Second Quad

First Quad

Covered Market

Cornmarket Street

Turl Street

Aerial view of Jesus College 2016

Jesus College Plan 1939

Axonometric drawing of the Front, 2nd and 3rd Quadrangles

Anchored in understanding of the history and college

Jesus College was founded in 1571 under the reign of Queen Elizabeth I, making it the only Elizabethan College within the University of Oxford.

MICA developed how to merge the new building with the existing, via historic analysis of setting, sequencing of the

building plot and materiality. This was embedded in the Heritage Statement and the final Design. Via this analytical and sequential approach, we ensured that we understood the restoration of the listed elements and how to respond with the new design to the history and the story of place. The building restoration responded to significance, need, and restoration techniques discussed and agreed with the heritage bodies, whilst the new build reacted to the historic buildings through architectural articulation, materiality, and a new adaptation of the historic language.

The team also reviewed the College setting and future-proofing with an aim to allow for another 400 years of adaptation and change.

Northgate House Boundary

13-20 Cornmarket St & 11-19 Market St

A masterplan approach

Beginning in 2017, MICA undertook a masterplan study for Jesus College’s central site. The masterplan process commenced by defining a brief, establishing a series of questions, College needs and priorities. Through extensive internal consultation the masterplan considered the following:

– The needs, configurations and impacts of a major new College building

– Future expansion and re-purposing opportunities

– Public realm and landscape changes

– Retail scenarios

– Step-free access routes

– New College bike stores, workshop and support facilities

– Detailed consideration for the existing Meyricke Library

– Study space across the College

– Repurposing of a number of the medieval and 18th Century rooms and suites.

– Decarbonisation.

On an urban scale, the new development creates a fourth quad, a new gatehouse and a modern dynamic façade treatment. Our design provides a cornerstone to Oxford’s continuous development of the central retail on Cornmarket, while simultaneously allowing for the College’s expansion.

Looking beyond the immediate College boundary, the masterplan has considered broader changes and far reaching improvements to the adjoining Market Street. The dramatic changes will benefit the public realm as a pedestrian thoroughfare, together with the approach and entrance to the College. The project is a joint venture between College, City and County.

Sustainable approach

With longevity, sustainability and future climate in mind, the design incorporates regenerative design principles by offering a highly efficient building which, through its approach, reduces energy and water usage, considering operational carbon.

40% of the buildings required energy is generated on site through the integration of a Ground Source Heat Pump system. This satisfies the heating and cooling for the teaching spaces as well as meeting the hot water load for the whole building. This is supplemented with 40m2 of South facing PV panels.

Embodied carbon has been addressed through the use of recycled aggregate within the concrete and CLT for the upper levels, a carbon negative

material which provides benefits through carbon sequestration. The locally sourced, natural stone façade, reduced the need for manufactured products and offers extended durability to suit the long design life of the building.

The building design maximises dual aspect space to enable natural cross ventilation. The introduction of external spaces, integrated into the design at each floor level, gave the opportunity to significantly improve biodiversity across the urban site. Local, nectar rich species were planted, along with a wildflower green roof, to beneficially attract invertebrates.

Engaging approach

Collaborative Approach

All college members, staff, fellows, students, Oxford City Council, Historic England and the wider community were consulted during all design stages and through 80+ design workshops co-developed the brief and emerging designs. MICA presented the scheme at every design stage to the wider college and invited to workshops and drop-in sessions. The brief met and largely exceeded all brief requirements supporting the Colleges long term vision

Early community engagement Community engagement in the project was a priority. Early on, the College realised what a unique opportunity the building site hoardings provided to not only engage with the local community but also tell the story of Jesus College; its history, people, research and values

of innovation, academic excellence and inclusivity. Sited predominantly on Cornmarket, the hoardings presented colourful and accessible information on the College, and the role the new building will have in shaping the future of life in the digital age.

Promoting construction industry skills

MICA and the College also provided site tours for key stakeholders, members of the College community and select groups of alumni and friends. During 2021-22, MICA welcomed several groups of Architecture students from the University of Oxford and Oxford Brookes University, and students from local HE colleges, to site to learn more about the project, and promote the variety of jobs available within the construction industry.

Turning back to front

Hall building - Christ Church College Christ Church Cathedral Tom Tower St Aldate’s Church

Merton College Chapel Carfax Tower

Magdalen College

Nuffield College Spire

St Peters

All Saints Church - Lincoln College

Wesley Memorial Church

University Church of St Mary the Virgin Radcliffe Camera All Souls College Exeter College Chapel Spire

Informed by context

BRASENOSE LANE (LOOKING WEST)

Informed by context

Streetscape analysis

No, 18-21 Cornmarket 1901 Early 1940. Portland Stone Marks and Spencer Department Store.

(oxfordhistory.org.uk)

‘After’ The new massing displays the retail provision on Ground and First Floor with residential accomodation above. The corner itself is marked with a larger window into the cafe / event space witin the college.

Cornmarket street looking south

‘Before’ site prior to work

‘After’ the Cheng Yu Tung Building seamlessly blends with the modern and historic architecture of Cornmarket’s urban landscape

Brasenose Lane

Construction

The Digital Hub

The multi-storey space is connected by a sweeping, generous stair which becomes a forum for up to 500 people to join large events, with integrated digital displays and connectivity for mass interactive events.

“With this new development, we are not just embracing the future of learning: we’re shaping it.”

- Professor Sir Nigel Shadbolt, Jesus College Principal

Delivering open and innovative education spaces - learning spaces range from lone study, to group work and teaching spaces and allow the students and researchers to engage across disciplines

A multi-level space for knowledge exchange

The fourth quad

The College arrangement centres around a new quad which has been developed on the second floor linked via steps to the Fellows’ Garden.

The space is lined with planting in both climbing plants and planters combining seating. High quality stone flooring and gravel provide flexible year-round use whilst also defining routes to residential staircases.

The tower gallery

Making the most of the skyline

The building’s massing responds to the surrounding buildings and a new defined roofscape design creates key views both from within Oxford and from outside.

A multipurpose space which provides opportunities for meeting, seminar, dining and exhibition. The space is served by lift, stair and from a finishing kitchen below and through large picture windows enjoy breathtaking and unmatched views across Oxford.

Visuals illustrating various uses within the tower room eg. hosting dining events or arts functions

Timber panelling and ceiling lattice adds an enormous amount of warmth, depth and drama to the spectacular tower room gallery which can also be used by the college for special events

New links across the campus

Fourth quad with view towards lower levels which connects to the wider college campus

‘After’ link to new development better connecting social and educational facilities

‘Before’ Prior to work

Open and accessible

“This exceptional building not only provides us with more space in which to carry out our academic research and teaching, it also provides Oxford with a dynamic new venue for activities such as exhibitions, performances, talks and conferencing, and a new integrated NHS health centre.”

- Professor Sir Nigel Shadbolt, Jesus College Principal