Ogden Centre

Project Details

Project Description

FROM THE ARCHITECTS:

Durham University has opened its new £11.5 million Ogden Centre for Fundamental Physics designed by Studio Libeskind (New York). Durham University is one of the world’s leading institutions in cosmology and space science and it is hoped that the new Ogden Centre building will further cement this position. The new Centre will accommodate the rapid growth and academic success of Durham’s research into fundamental physics, enabling it to maintain its leading global position in the decades ahead.

Located next to the Department of Physics on Lower Mountjoy, South Road, Durham City, UK, the 2,478 square-metre building houses the Institute for Computational Cosmology (ICC), one of the world's premier cosmology research groups, the Centre for Extragalactic Astronomy (CEA) and the Centre for Advanced Instrumentation (CfAI). The new Ogden Centre includes eighty new offices for researchers, postgraduate research students, support staff and visiting academics.

Professor Carlos Frenk, Director of the Institute for Computational Cosmology, at Durham University, said: “The new Ogden Centre for Fundamental Physics represents a wonderful contribution to the unique architectural heritage of Durham City. Its design reflects the requirements of a top-class research centre, dedicated to seeking answers to some of the most fundamental questions about our Universe such as: How and when did our Universe begin? What is it made of? How did galaxies and other structures form? The new building is an amazing place in which to work.”

A spiral in plan, the Centre is designed as continuous, stacked and interlocking forms. Clad in a ventilated timber rain screen built from responsibly sourced Scottish larch, the dynamic façade is punctuated with linear bands of operable strip windows and a series of outdoor terraces. In addition, canted curtain walls on the north and south faces bookend the form of the spiral and provide spectacular views of picturesque Durham City and Durham Cathedral. The active form of the building unifies a rigorous, repetitive programme of private work spaces along its perimeter with a communal multi-story interior space activated by gathering spaces and a massive central skylight. A new identity has been created for the Centre resulting in unique individualized workspace that engenders a sense of connection and community.