An additional college building for Oxford University comprising a 220-seat theatre, seminar rooms, dining room and student accommodation.
An innovative chilled slab system consists of plastic pipes spaced at regular intervals cast into the concrete slab. The mass of the exposed concrete can absorb large amounts of thermal energy and either absorb or radiate heat to rooms to maintain thermal stability. Additional cooling to the theatre is provided via a displacement ventilation system when necessary.
The building as a whole is thermally coupled to the earth via water circulating through the foundation pilings, thereby minimising heating and cooling energy requirements.
