Three new Boarding houses for Wychwood School, in the heart of Oxford

New Boarding houses for sixth-formers at Wychwood School,

a co-educational day and boarding school

Wychwood School is a co-educational day and boarding school in Oxford, for pupils aged 11-18. At the time of commission, the School was a girls’ day and boarding school in need of increased pupil numbers and facilities. In order to enable this transition, a significant injection of new Boarding accommodation was required, which would then allow other space in the School’s main campus to be repurposed, reorganised or refurbished.

The site was formerly used as tennis courts for the school which had become surplus to its needs. Located next to watermeadow sports pitches and adjoining a Conservation Area, the brownfield development was designed to position contemporary buildings politely in a traditional context.

Each of the three new Boarding houses are arranged across three levels, with a mixture of single and double-occupancy study-bedrooms. The (all en-suite) rooms are arranged in clusters with brew-kitchens, and allow flexibility for the gender mix to adapt to future changes to Boarding numbers, and boy/ girl split within the School population. At ground floor mixed social common rooms, house-parent flats and staff day/night office provide activity and security.

The highly sustainable buildings are set around small courtyard gardens with soft planted areas set up for biodiversity, sustainable drainage and good amenity.

Construction is scheduled for 2024.