The second public consultation for the Stephen A. Schwarzman Centre for the Humanities at Oxford University has launched on 17 June. The proposed designs for the Stephen A. Schwarzman Centre for the Humanities are being presented as part of a new public consultation into the building.
Images and detailed plans of the proposed design by Hopkins Architects are being presented to the community in Oxford for the first time, and feedback is sought by 08 July. These responses will inform the planning application to be submitted to Oxford City Council later in late summer or early autumn.
The building would be erected on the Radcliffe Observatory Quarter between Walton Street and Woodstock Road and exhibition boards for the consultation, and a video fly-through can be viewed on the building consultation website.
The Centre has been made possible by a £150 million gift to the University from Stephen A. Schwarzman, CEO and Co-founder of Blackstone, one of the world’s leading investment firms. It will boost teaching and research in the humanities at Oxford and provide a new home to Oxford’s humanities, bringing together seven faculties, a new Institute for Ethics in AI, the Oxford Internet Institute, and a new library.
Professor Karen O’Brien, Head of Humanities at Oxford University, said: “Our proposed design reflects our ambition to create a welcoming building that people will be intrigued to visit. This will be an open building which we hope will soon become a popular destination for residents of our city and county.
“We look forward to inviting everyone in to attend our events and performances, or simply meet a friend in the café. We welcome all feedback on our proposal and we will work closely with the City Council as we develop our vision ahead of the planning submission later this year.”
Professor William Whyte, Professor of Architectural History at Oxford University, said: “This is a building of enormous complexity and huge ambition. Designed by a world-leading architectural practice, it will also be beautiful: a new home for the Humanities, a new public space for the people of Oxford, and an inspirational addition to the city’s architecture.”