Castle Hill House, Oxford
Castle Hill House offers eco-friendly undergraduate accommodation for St Peter’s College, Oxford. Vandersanden’s Chaucer Suffolk and Majestic bricks blend seamlessly with the historic Oxford Castle area.
Hear from the mind behind Castle Hill House
We talk to Richard James, associate at Design Engine Architects. We’ll get his ideas on brick selection and using brick to create prestigious student housing.
The Chaucer Sufolk provided exactly the right buff colour, not only matching the existing stone of the surrounding buildings but having the texture and tonal variety that gives it a warmer feel.”
How would you describe the project?
It’s quite an awkward site. On one corner is Canal House, the Master’s residence with a large garden, on the other, the Law Center. It’s bounded by New Road, a main route into Oxford, and Bulwarks Lane; between the two there is a one-storey level change in the topography. Within these confines, we created a scheme with 54 bedrooms.
What was your design vision for the project?
To address the level change, a podium was created across the site which houses a bike store, plant rooms, toilets and offices. On top of the podium are the two residential blocks with the front building standing three storeys above the podium and the rear four storeys, the building stepping up as the natural ground gradient increases. Between the two is a central courtyard with bedroom windows of both buildings facing across it. This space also allows connection to the main university campus on the other side of Bulwarks Lane.
How does your choice of brick complement this vision?
The scheme is in a conservation area that includes listed buildings and Castle Mound, a scheduled ancient monument. Quite a variety of materials are evident in the surrounding buildings but, within the material hierarchy, brick was the most appropriate and Chaucer Suffolk was an ideal match to the ashlar, ’Oxford’ buff colour of Canal House and the Law Centre. Vandersanden’s Majestic brick matches the greyer rusticated base of Canal House so was ideal for the podium that runs into the wall at the rear of the site.
Why did you choose Vandersanden for the project?
We were struggling to find bricks of the right colours, particularly for the grey bricks where we were looking for a very specific match but, once we found Vandersanden’s Majestic, we didn’t look back, they’ve been incredibly successful.
The Chaucer Suffolk provided exactly the right buff colour, not only matching the existing stone of the surrounding buildings but also having the texture and tonal variety that gives it a warmer feel.
Explain your choice of bond
A fairly natural mortar colour was used throughout for both brick types. It helped to blend them together and add a little more warmth to the overall tone of the two bricks.
What brick innovations were there with this project?
Within the brick piers of the faceted facades are areas of hit-and-miss brickwork that leave out the headers. These allow the window panels in the bedrooms to be left open to create natural ventilation and also provide some rain protection and security.
Panels of hit-and-miss brickwork were also used to fill in and repair existing walls, including the old stone wall on New Road. A staggered zigzag pattern was employed to replicate the texture of the very rough old stone walls on Bulwarks Lane.
The buildings follow the site’s irregular shape so a large number of ‘cut stuck’ brick specials were employed to deal with the changes in direction of the walls. Pre-cast, brick-faced lintels and support units were also used at various points across the facades.
How would you sum up your experience with Vandersanden on this project?
We’re really pleased, the colour match has been even better than expected and the quality of the brick is probably one of the best I’ve seen. They’re not the cheapest brick on the market but the effect and the quality is much greater than their expense. Vandersanden will be the starting point for future projects requiring this level of quality.
Thanks Richard, for taking time to talk to us and of course choosing Chaucer Suffolk and Majestic facing bricks by Vandersanden for your project.
Facing brick used - Chaucer Suffolk 0301A1
A picture may be worth a thousand words, but it doesn’t always give you the full story. Sometimes you just need to see it for yourself, hold it in your hand and feel the texture to be truly inspired.
Facing brick used - Majestic 0302A0
Project information
- Project – Castle Hill House
- Location – University of Oxford
- Architect – Design Engine Architects
- Developer – St Peter’s College
- Contractor – Willmott Dixon
- Brick used – Chaucer Suffolk and Majestic
- Year of completion – 2024
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