The Jackson Library at Exeter College, University of Oxford, has been named Building of the Year at the RIBA South Awards 2025. The project also received an RIBA South Award, the Conservation Award and the Project Architect Award.
"The work has radically transformed the library through sensitively yet confidently designed new circulation, adaptations of the structure and a range of natural materials tying together old and new. This project required a high degree of coordination to produce a deceptively simple design full of intricate details and clever adaptations. The refurbishment prioritised reuse and conservation to minimise embodied carbon and enhance environmental performance and user comfort. Overall, this intelligent renovation has taken a tired listed building with limitations and turned it into a fresh, robust and light-filled environment for studying, much loved by its users."
Our thanks to the RIBA juries who visited the library twice, and for the enjoyable discussions on both occasions. The awards were presented on 21 May at Laverstoke Mill in Hampshire, home of the Bombay Sapphire Distillery, which is itself a historic site renewed by contemporary design. The full jury citation is available to read on the RIBA Journal.