Schwarzman Centre in Oxford by Hopkins Architects

Hardly any university buildings in the UK or the US are constructed without the backing of wealthy sponsors. Not even at the venerable University of Oxford. In this case, it was Stephen Schwarzman, co-founder and CEO of the financial services company Blackstone, who provided around £185 million for the new humanities faculty building, which was named after him.  

Arcade in front of the entrance, © Hufton + Crow 

In early 2020, Hopkins Architects won the architectural competition for the Schwarzman Centre for the Humanities. The new building, which has more than 25,000 m² of floor space, is located north of the city centre, on the site of a former hospital demolished by the university in 2007 to make way for expansion. It is surrounded by prominent neighbours, including buildings by Rafael Viñoly, Niall McLaughlin, and Herzog & de Meuron. In 2015, the Swiss architects completed the rotunda of the Blavatnik School of Government, which is located immediately to the south. To the north stands another architectural gem that shapes the cityscape: the Radcliffe Observatory, completed in 1773. 

Longitudinal section through the building, Graphic © Hopkins Architects 

In Oxford, it is a long-standing tradition that even the largest new buildings are limited to four or five floors. This presented a challenge for Hopkins Architects when it came to accommodating the enormous space requirements of the new building. The building had to provide space for seven faculties ranging from theology and music to medieval linguistics, as well as the newly founded Bodleian Library of the Humanities, a café, and four event halls. Around one sixth of the building's floor space, including almost the entire ground floor, is open to the public. This also makes the Schwarzman Centre a first for the university city. 

A wood and glass construction with a 19 m span arches over the atrium, © Hufton + Crow 

The central hub of the new building is the atrium, which has a 19-m-wide and 7-m-high glass and wood dome. The intersecting wooden beams form the primary supporting structure of the dome and also hold a slatted structure that shades the interior rooms. From here, stairs lead to the faculty rooms to the south, west and east, and to the three-storey library on the north side. The atrium is not only a space for movement, however; it is also a place to work. Lounge furniture and work tables await students on the ground floor and on the three gallery levels. 

The three-storey underground concert hall can seat around 500 people. © Hufton + Crow 

Directly below the atrium is a two-storey foyer providing access to four event halls: a 500-seat concert hall, a 300-seat theatre, an experimental “black box” and a 100-seat cinema. The only way to keep the built-up area within reasonable limits was to move the halls underground. Nevertheless, the wings of the building are so deep that the glass dome cannot be seen from the street. 

Classicism meets prefabrication: the airtight building envelope was an important prerequisite for the Schwarzman Centre to achieve the passive house standard. © Simon Kennedy 

The building's facades combine classicism with modern construction methods. Hopkins Architects used bricks from Yorkshire and limestone from Rutland to create a facade with arcades, blind windows, and horizontal cornices. The facades were prefabricated as large-format elements in the factory to achieve a high level of airtightness. This is a prerequisite for meeting the passive house standard specified by the university. Oxford University aims to be completely CO₂-neutral by 2035, so it is fitting that the Schwarzman Centre is not only the largest passive house in the UK, but also the world's first passive house concert hall. The U-value of the building envelope, including the windows, is just 0.12 W/m²K. Fresh air is supplied to the building by 22 ventilation units with rotary heat exchangers. According to Hopkins, construction site operations were also exemplary, with only fully electric or vegetable oil-powered vehicles permitted. 


Read more about Hopkins Architects' projects in our Detail Inspiration database.