Double Passivhaus victory at the Oxford Preservation Trust Awards
Passivhaus schemes for St Edmund Hall and Corpus Christi College Oxford both recognised for embedding low-energy architecture into protected contexts
From left to right: Rhian Atkins (Ridge), Adam Cripps (SDC), Ronan Morris (Wright & Wright), Mark Blandford-Baker (St Edmund Hall), Prof. (Katherine) Baroness Willis (St Edmund Hall), Eleanor Burnett (St Edmund Hall) and Sandy Wright (Wright & Wright)
We're incredibly proud to see both Norham Gardens and the Spencer Library recognised at the Oxford Preservation Trust Awards 2026, showcasing how highly sustainable low-energy architecture can be achieved in even the most historically sensitive contexts.
Norham Gardens, our £43m Passivhaus student housing project for St Edmund Hall, won the best New Buildings award, while the Spencer Building, a Passivhaus Library and Special Collections Centre for Corpus Christi College, University of Oxford was Highly Commended.
Judges commended the design of Norham Gardens, which 'captured the spirit of the Conservation area, while creating a distinct and handsome new building'.
Congratulations to everyone involved, and to our incredible clients for their sustained vision and commitment to design excellence, particularly Andy Rolfe, Luke Webster, Helen Moore, Kathy Willis, Mark Blandford-Baker and Eleanor Burnett.
Norham Gardens, St Edmund Hall
Future-focused Passivhaus student accommodation for one of Oxford’s oldest colleges, combining contemporary timber construction with a low-carbon retrofit of a Victorian villa
Spencer Building, Corpus Christi College Oxford
An exemplar of sustainability, the Passivhaus library expands study space, improves accessibility and safeguards a world-class collection with minimal energy use
