MacCormac Jamieson Prichard - General - NAS Design Partnership Award 2006
Date: 23 May 2006
The Design Team [Architect, MacCormac Jamieson Prichard; Main Contractor, Kingerlee; and the Specialist Contractor (and NAS member), A. Edmonds & Co. Limited] have won the National Association of Shopfitters (NAS) Design Partnership Award 2006 for Senior Common Room, St John's College, Oxford.
Presented at a ceremony last week, the award was accepted on behalf of the design team by Julie Morrison from MJP and David Edmonds from A. Edmonds and Co. Ltd. The Award (sponsored by Shopspec) recognises excellence in interior design and shopfitting contracting with emphasis on the special partnership between designer/architect and contractor that shopfitting demands.
The judges represent interior designers, architects and contractors, this year chaired by Brian Watson of Wills Watson and Associates.
What the judges were looking for?
Suitability of the design for its location, purpose and overall budget;
Strength of partnership between interior designer/architect and shopfitter;
Choice of materials;
Creativity and originality in interpreting the design brief and overcoming site conditions;
Special design features of functional or decorative relevance;
Quality of shopfitting and project management
Judges' comments:
"Although direct comparison with projects with a strong commercial agenda is difficult, the judges considered that it is as tough a brief - if not tougher - to create a new addition to an Oxford College founded in 1555 (and whose alumni include Tony Blair!) The result is a new Senior Common Room that has been grafted onto its 17th Century predecessor with skill, imagination and a great deal of sensitivity.
"The new structure is effectively a glass box, but its external appearance is moderated by the oak louvred shutters that are ageing gracefully to tone in with the Cotswold stone of neighbouring buildings. Internally, the spaces are inspirational with layered views of the architecture and gardens beyond, and sunlight filtering through the louvres onto a mix of timber, glass, steel and polished concrete surfaces. To give one example of the attention to detail and commitment to making things work that run throughout the whole project, the bespoke dining chairs are simple, elegant and beautifully made, but also incredibly comfortable.
"The panel considered St John's College SCR a credit not just to the level of detailing by the architects (the judges wondered just how many working drawings had to be produced) but also to the skill and coordination of the specialist contractors involved."
More Information about the Project
Design Brief
The design brief was to provide a contemporary extension to the Grade I listed Senior Common Room at St John's College in Oxford, which is both sensitive to the existing listed building but also in keeping with other contemporary listed buildings in the area. The work should stand out as being 'excellent in design' and add value to the current building.
Design Concept
2 storey frameless structural glass extension
Oak/stainless steel framework and pneumatically driven rotating sun louvres to act as solar protection;
Veneered panelling to be in keeping with older areas of the College and yet maintain contemporary feel;
Electrical servery hatches to finish flush with veneered panelling when lowered so that dining area could also be used as large meeting room with no evidence of kitchen areas;
Bespoke dining chairs and tables
Project Execution
From the commencement of the contract a team approach was developed between the Architect (MacCormac Jamieson Prichard), the Main Contractor (Kingerlee) and the Specialist Contractor (A. Edmonds & Co. Limited) in order to resolve the difficult design requirements.
One of the key functions of the sun louvres was that they could be remotely operated with all 7 pairs of shutter doors working in unison. Various methods of operation were considered such as mechanical gears, although as the entire mechanism had to fit into a 55 mm wide void, pneumatics were eventually chosen.
A substantial amount of integration was required to ensure that the mechanism could drive the pairs of oak and stainless steel doors, (each approximately 3m high x 1m wide and 3m in the air) and each pair weighing 160 kg. The design of these louvre doors was worked through to try and produce a clean external appearance whilst maintaining structural strength and rigidity. The end result is a door with stiles that encloses stainless steel box sections in kiln dried oak. The oak was left to stabilise under cover externally for a period of time before being assembled and then oiled for final use.
Another significant area of design development was the production of 80 bespoke chairs and oak tables for the dining area. The brief for these items was that the chair frame should be a continuous piece of stainless steel with a leather clad seat 'floating' above. A. Edmonds produced a series of samples using pre-formed plywood bases and various stainless steel sections to develop the optimum solution. Issues encountered with this process were the availability of different sections, the effects encountered when solid sections were rolled and the flexibility of the whole arrangement. Ultimately, hollow rectangular stainless sections were used which had curved elements welded in and dressed off to provide the appearance of continuous frames whilst maintaining a clean finish without machining marks. At the end of this process of communication and development the Client has received furniture which is truly unique.
As a whole, the project has provided St John's College with a building they are proud of and this would not have been possible without all members of the design and construction teams working together towards a common goal.
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