Morris & Co unveils design for Oxford University teaching facility

Morris & Co has unveiled its proposals for its first project for the University of Oxford.

The Ratan Tata Building at Somerville College will be a four-storey learning and research facility located within the Radcliffe Observatory Quarter.

It is intended as the new permanent home for the Oxford India Centre for Sustainable Development (OICSD), an organisation which promotes research on the challenge of sustainable development in India.

Designed using passivhaus principles, the facility would be built around a mass timber frame and feature an airtight envelope with all-electric systems including air source heat pumps and photovoltaic panels.

The 700sq m building has been named after industrialist and philanthropist Ratan Tata, the chairman emeritus of Tata Group who passed away on 9 October at the age of 86.

Tata had longstanding connections with Somerville College and supported the OICSD’s  work on sustainability.

Somerville College principal Janet Royall said the building was the “fruit of many conversations, hopes, and dreams over the past decade”.

“Now it will stand as a permanent legacy to the life of a remarkable man and a dear friend to Somerville,” she added. 

“I am deeply grateful to the Tata Group for enabling this tribute to Mr. Tata and cementing Somerville’s place as a world-class academic institution.”

The building would provide eight tutor rooms, two seminar rooms, shared study spaces, a lobby and event space and an internal link connecting to the existing college buildings.

A key design element is a large circular opening above the main entrance that aims to maximise natural light and serve as a metaphorical nod to observation and openness, according to the project team.

Morris & Co founding director Joe Morris said: “Our approach was to create a building that not only meets the evolving needs of modern academia but also celebrates Somerville’s commitment to fostering inclusivity and interdisciplinary collaboration. 

“The result is an exemplar of thoughtful, sustainable design that sits proudly within its historic context while advancing the College’s vision for a vibrant, forward-thinking future.”

Somerville College was founded in 1879 as Oxford University’s first all-female colleges and counts Margaret Thatcher, Indira Gandhi, Iris Murdoch and Vera Brittain among its alumni.