Reuben College has been awarded the Hugh O'Neil Heritage Prize at the AIA (Australian Institute of Architects) International Awards, with judges praising fjcstudio's transformation of historic science buildings as "an exemplar of exceptional architecture."
As Oxford University's first college in nearly three decades, the ambitious Reuben College building project has breathed new life into Grade II listed buildings within the University's Science Area and Central Conservation Area. In successfully uniting the Jackson (1901) and Worthington (1934) buildings of the Radcliffe Science Library, the University's Inorganic Chemistry Laboratory (1860), and the striking Victorian Gothic-style Abbot's Kitchen (1860), fjcstudio was able to create a home for our graduate students to study, collaborate and engage in College life.
According to the jury:
Reuben College by fjcstudio is an exemplar of exceptional architecture underscored by the integration of solutions to diverse challenges.
Indeed, the fully realised built outcome demonstrates design excellence; sensitivity to heritage character and context; skilful adaptive reuse; respect for craft and the restoration of traditional carpentry and masonry structures; extensive decontamination due to past use; integration of allied disciplines; management of challenging project, brief and procurement issues; and thoughtful consideration of user and stakeholder needs.
The result is outstanding architecture that wonderfully exemplifies the value of skilled and experienced architects achieving in all aspects of our profession.
