Merton College selects Stanton Williams through invited competition

Stanton Williams has been appointed to design a new academic library for Oxford University鈥檚 Merton College after beating 25 other firms in an invited competition for the project.

The practice, which won the Stirling Prize in 2012 for its Sainsbury Laboratory in Cambridge, said work on the project was currently at the 鈥渇easibility/concept鈥� stage.

Stanton Williams said the resulting library would be an exemplary sustainable building that was flexible and adaptable for the long term.

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Source: Merton College, Oxford

Merton College Old Library seen from the south-west

As well as niches and corners for private focused study, the new library will provide expansive book-lined reading rooms and collaborative environments.

Merton College was founded in 1296 and occupies a network of buildings, quadrangles and gardens to the south of High Street in Oxford city centre.

The site for the new library is separated from Merton鈥檚 main collegiate core by the mature Fellows鈥� Garden and the historic medieval city wall.

Stanton Williams said it was currently working with stakeholder groups within Merton College to prepare conceptual designs after completing RIBA stage 1.

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