LEARNING CURVE

摘要

The colleges and quadrangles of Oxford may not seem the obvious choice for Zaha Hadid's avowedly futuristic brand of architecture but that is exactly what is being built in one of the institution's youngest colleges. St Anthony's College was founded in 1950 and now forms the backdrop to the emerging form of the Softbridge project currently under construction by Bam. The £11m project is an extension to the college's Middle East Centre and will link two of its existing buildings. In contrast to the Victorian and mock-Tudor buildings that frame it, Softbridge will be a smooth, sinuous metallic tube with a curved profile and sloping roof. The building will provide a new entrance and reception to the Middle East Centre and offer a library, reading room, archive and 125-seat basement auditorium.