The Ruskin School of Art

Designed to accommodate the launch of a new Masters of Fine Art Programme and to give a more public face to the school, the new building delivers facilities worthy of The Ruskin School of Art's reputation as one of the leading art schools in the UK.

Clever use of a difficult site has enabled the school to double in size, allowing them to accommodate more students whilst also providing them with the facilities to actively host their own public exhibitions and performances. The building includes offices, exhibition space, multimedia studios, metal and wood workshops, print and casting rooms and a seminar room.

The art school fronts onto a residential street and, thanks to thoughtful design, colour palette and material choices, sits comfortably in its surroundings.

Spratley & Partners worked closely with audio visual design consultants to entwine high specification and multifunctional AV systems into the very fabric of the building. A key feature of the building is the public-facing double-height exhibition area, which has a frontage fitted with interactive glazing. Creating great visual impact, the glass can be used as one giant screen or as individual panels. When switched off, it becomes clear, allowing the building to quietly integrate into the surrounding area.

The process has been an immensely enjoyable and fascinating one, we were convinced from the start that the Spratley & Partners team would be able offer us a sensitive partnership rather than a top down approach, vital for a building that has to function in so many ways... Beautiful where it needs to be and functional where it needs to be, resulting in an economy and assuredness of design that is very modern, confident and yet very much integrated into its location. We are very, very happy

Jon Roome, The Ruskin School of Art

DOCUMENTS

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PEOPLE

Jeremy Spratley
Partner
Stephen Smith
Partner
Gregg Thatcher
Director

PARTNERS

Project Manager
Ridge & Partners
Contractor
Kingerlee
M&E
CBG Consultants
Structural Engineer
Price & Myers
Audio Visual
Session AV

ACCOLADES

Winner
RIBA South Award
Winner
Oxford Preservation Trust
Regional Finalist
Civic Trust Awards
Shortlist
RICS Design Through Innovation Awards
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