Celebrated as a ‘city of dreaming spires,’ there is sense of time and place which marks Oxford out as a national treasure.
The architectural landscape of its colleges in the city’s medieval centre is a magnet for millions of tourists every year, so their preservation and future flexibility is vital. The city’s university and colleges now face the challenge of adapting and protecting these historic buildings while balancing the need for meeting Net Zero aspirations.
A broad range of city stakeholders from academia, the council and business have now signed the Zero Carbon Oxford Charter, pledging to hit Net Zero carbon emissions by 2040, a full decade ahead of UK government target.
To achieve this ambition, ways have to be found to avoid the past and future colliding.
Ultimately, advocates for carbon reduction, and those with the responsibility for protecting heritage buildings, both have concern for the environment in common.
It’s therefore important for parties on both sides to work together to find common ground and practical solutions."
The challenge is focused on the ways and means of retrofitting old buildings, whilst considering the development of new carbon-neutral or positive buildings, which often require modern external design choices. Consultants, contractors and built environment experts are central to this journey.
We gathered a group of experts to explore the considerations that accompany designing and building new, energy-efficient buildings in a sympathetic style amid heritage assets; and the challenges and practicalities of reducing operational carbon emissions from heritage builds.
Nick Brown, CFO and Bursar at Magdalen College, University of Oxford | Lorraine King, Heritage Planning Director at Barton Willmore, now Stantec | Charlotte Robinson, Senior Architect at Purcell Architects | Chris Scott, Development Director at Muse Developments | Patric Vale, Partner at Ridge & Partners LLP | Professor Lionel Tarassenko, President of Reuben College, University of Oxford | James York, Area Director for Morgan Sindall Construction | Lewis Edwards, Senior Building Services Manager, Morgan Sindall Construction | Peter Vellet, Senior Archaeology Consultant, ADAS | Crissie Gizzi, Business Development Manager, Morgan Sindall Construction | Tim Clement, Head of Carbon and Environment for Morgan Sindall Construction | David Behan, Mechanical Engineer and Founding Director, Etch Associates | Chris Hulme, Director, Influential (Chair)
