Frewin Hall is a student residential building located within the Frewin Campus, just oft St. Michael Street in Oxford and is owned and occupied by Brasenose College, Oxford . The building has had a very interesting history and there is evidence that some of the basement construction dates back to the 12th Century. The building is Grade II listed and was in need of modernisation and alteration to accommodate the modern students’ requirements as well as providing a much-needed social hub for the College in a central location.
etch Associates have been appointed as part of a multi-disciplinary design team for the comprehensive refurbishment of the building including a holistic replacement of all the mechanical, electrical, and public health (MEP) engineering systems as well as providing Passivhaus & Building Physics consultancy services.
Given the sensitive nature of the buildings, all works will need to be completed in a sensitive fashion and the design proposals in keeping with the setting and the character of the building.
The College were also keen to utilise the refurbishment as a means of improving the existing buildings energy and comfort performance as well as undo some of the architectural missteps adopted as part of previous refurbishments within the building.
Perhaps surprisingly, it is very possible to retrofit the building envelope of a historic building and achieve significant energy savings. Historic buildings like Frewin Hall are more challenging than 20th century buildings for example, but with care, they can be sympathetically upgraded while retaining their heritage value, and in some cases this can even be enhanced along with building durability, and the previously discussed occupant comfort . Our aim, then, is a healthier, warmer more comfortable building, that uses dramatically less energy and produces little or no carbon dioxide emissions in use. The graphic below summarises the various factors aftecting decisions in this area. Heritage building retrofit is partly about managing risk, and we will use available industry guidance to ensure that any interventions at Frewin Hall are guided by and adhere to or exceed best practice.
