Schwarzman Centre for the Humanities hits all the right notes!

For the first time in Oxford University’s 928 year history, the Schwarzman Centre for the Humanities, potentially the largest building in the UK to achieve Passivhaus, will bring together programmes in English, history, linguistics, philology and phonetics, medieval and modern languages, music, philosophy and theology on one site.

The huge complex, designed by PHT Member Hopkins Architects, features a 500-seat concert hall, potentially the first Passivhaus certified concert hall in the UK, a 250-seat theatre and a 100-seat ‘black box’ lab for experimental performance, a schools and public engagement centre, a new library, new access routes and landscaping, a café and other meeting spaces.

The scale of the project is truly unprecedented - bringing together seven faculties, two institutes, 600 members of staff, as well as 140,000 books and other items from core Oxford collections.

Key stats

Area: 23,000m²
Build start date: 2023
Expected completion: 2025
Certification: Aiming for Passivhaus

Schwarzman Centre for the Humanities | Image credit: Hopkins Architects

Schwarzman Centre for the Humanities | Image credit: | Image credit: Laing O'Rourke

Oxford University has set a target to halve carbon emissions by 2030 and achieve net zero carbon emissions and net biodiversity gain by 2035. The Schwarzman Centre for the Humanities aims not only to be a large-scale Passivhaus masterpiece, but also set a new standard of sustainability for the university and a precedent for other large-scale construction projects.

Key features

Solar power generation on the roof
No fossil fuel consumption in the building itself

No new parking spaces other than for disabled users

New planting, landscaping, wildlife and green spaces.

PHT Patron Etude are appointed as Passivhaus Designer for the landmark project. The complex project required a high degree of communication and interaction across the design team and Etude coordinated thermal performance with the architect, structural and MEP engineers, façade consultant, theatre consultant and other specialists.

Predicted operational energy calculations and thermal performance analysis using PHPP were undertaken in collaboration with PHT Patron Max Fordham to demonstrate compliance with the University’s comprehensive in-house sustainability design guide.

Key team

Client: The University of Oxford
Architect: PHT Member Hopkins Architects
M&E Engineer: PHT Patron Max Fordham
Passivhaus Designer: PHT Patron Etude
Contractor: Laing O'Rourke
Passivhaus Certifier: Passivhaus Institut

Schwarzman Centre for the Humanities | Image credit: Oxford University

Schwarzman Centre for the Humanities | Image credit: Hopkins Architects

Join us in Oxford in September for the UK Passivhaus Conference 2024 for the opportunity to get a close-up view of the progress being made on the Schwarzman Centre for the Humanities on one of our hugely popular site visits! Tickets are limited so book now to avoid disappointment.

Do not miss learning more about this mammoth Passivhaus building. The Trust are delighted to be delivering a detailed case study Passivhaus masterclass this September. Why not join us in Oxford (or online) before the conference where we dive into the details, hear from multiple team perspectives and get onto site!