Architect appointed to design Radcliffe Infirmary site
The Radcliffe Infirmary is to be redeveloped for primarily academic purposes, having provided the local community with medical care for 235 years, with current NHS facilities being moved out to the John Radcliffe and Churchill Hospitals. The NHS denies that this will have a negative effect on the medical services offered in the area.
A spokesperson for the trust told The Oxford Student: “Alot of work has been put in to make sure the transition runs as smoothly as possible”, assuring the public that little disruption is envisaged. The new building is to open in 2007, when it is hoped the 10.5 acre site in central Oxford will accommodate suitable work space for research, teaching, and the institute’s administration in addition to various academic departments and libraries.
The work will be overseen by Raphael Vinly Architects, an international firm picked from 60 companies who submitted ‘Expressions of Interest’ for the competition launched by the Royal Institution of British Architects in December 2004.
Their selection was attributed to the quality of their designs and their ability to work effectively with the complex university brief, which seeks to create a building that will both fit with the current surroundings and become a new landmark for the Oxford skyscape.
A spokesperson for the company said: “We are honoured to be given the chance to participate in the effort to redefine the use of a crucial site for the future of the University of Oxford and create a new and exciting masterplan for the area."
The company is particularly well known as one of the few considered for the reworking of the World Trade Centre site, and has been involved in various projects for other universities and academic institutions in recent years, notably including Princeton’s new science laboratories, for which it won an award in 2005.
2nd Jun 2005