Wright & Wright Architects has successfully completed a comprehensive library expansion project for Corpus Christi College at Oxford University, modernizing facilities that no longer adequately served the university's staff and students. The new Spencer Building represents a significant milestone in the college's 508-year history, marking the first time step-free access has been created to the historic library, making the space fully accessible to all users.

The expansion adds substantial capacity and functionality to the college's library facilities, including 55 new reader spaces, six dedicated research desks, and just under 2,000 square meters of archival shelving. The project consolidates the college's internationally significant special collections in an environmentally controlled core. These collections contain more than 20,000 early printed books and 546 manuscripts, including notable works by renowned scholars such as Galileo, Erasmus, and the Venerable Bede.

The Spencer Building occupies a historically complex and constrained site that has undergone numerous transformations over the centuries. Originally constructed as the president's lodgings in the 17th century, it represents the most altered section of the college. With only the eastern wing of the original structure remaining, the site proved well-suited for the new library expansion. The building is strategically positioned between three significant historic features: the medieval City Wall to the west, a listed façade facing the Garden Quad to the east, and the college's old library to the south.

The architectural design carefully preserves historic fabric on three elevations while introducing a refined new limestone façade on Oriel Square that replaces a 1950s-era garage. This new façade draws inspiration from the college's distinctive windows, which traditionally mark important social spaces including the hall and chapel. A prominent library window has been incorporated into the design, maintaining architectural continuity with the college's historic character.

Inside the building, a new staircase is strategically aligned on axis with the old library, creating visual connections between old and new spaces. The new library offers views toward both the old library's end wall and the chapel's stained-glass window, enhancing the scholarly atmosphere. Designed to meet rigorous Passivhaus standards in collaboration with Max Fordham, the archive is housed in a highly insulated, airtight concrete bunker constructed against the medieval city wall. This innovative design harnesses the wall's thermal mass to create stable, low-energy environmental conditions essential for preserving the valuable collections.

The building's eastern side features naturally lit reader spaces with triple-glazed windows, maximizing daylight while maintaining energy efficiency. Three distinct reading rooms spread across three floors provide varied working environments, ranging from intimate individual study spaces to collaborative areas. Each room offers views over the garden quad, creating an inspiring environment for scholarship. All furniture is custom-designed and crafted from oak and brass, maintaining consistency with the rest of the college's aesthetic.

Sustainability represents a core principle of the project, with the building operating entirely on electricity. Solar panels installed on the roof complement a highly efficient mechanical ventilation system with heat recovery for maintaining optimal air quality. Space heating is provided through a ground-source heat pump system, significantly reducing the building's carbon footprint. The project has achieved full Passivhaus accreditation, demonstrating exceptional energy performance with a predicted operational energy consumption of just 15 kWh per square meter per year.

Accessibility features have been integrated throughout the building, including provision for wheelchair users, power-assisted doors, and accessible restrooms on all floors. The step-free route includes level access at the entrance and a lift positioned behind the main staircase, providing access to all floors. Additionally, a wheelchair-accessible study space within the old library is equipped with a rise-and-fall desk, ensuring equal access to resources.

Corpus Christi College, founded in 1517, stands as one of Oxford University's oldest and smallest colleges. Located south of Oxford's city center, it serves approximately 265 undergraduate students and 130 graduate students. The path to this expansion involved multiple phases, with Berman Guedes Stretton initially winning approval for special collection archive plans in 2015. However, Wright & Wright was subsequently commissioned for the project in 2019, securing planning approval in 2020 and beginning construction in 2021.

Clare Wright, founding partner of Wright & Wright Architects, emphasized the project's philosophy: "Existing elements and conditions were a starting point, not a constraint. The Spencer Building emerges from Corpus's historic fabric, generating unexpected synergies and introducing sustainable, inclusive and forward-looking spaces." Helen Moore, president of Corpus Christi College Oxford, expressed satisfaction with the achievement: "At Corpus, we are always mindful of our responsibilities as custodians of our college's history and also its future. We are delighted that the Spencer Building has secured full Passivhaus accreditation. This achievement truly embodies our vision of encompassing simultaneously the best of the old and the best of the new." The project, completed in September 2025, covers a gross internal floor area of 479 square meters and represents a significant investment in the college's academic future.