Blavatnik School of Government

The design of the new five-storey building for the Blavatnik School of Government is meant to complement the ensemble of historical buildings of the British university town Oxford with its famous towers and college courts in its own deliberate way.

The design of the new five-storey building for the Blavatnik School of Government is meant to complement the ensemble of historical buildings of the British university town Oxford with its famous towers and college courts in its own deliberate way.
The 22 metre high building encloses a central forum. All storeys are spanned and connected by three hoof-shaped discs and join together in one open space.
The university building is conceived by the architects Jacques Herzog and Pierre de Meuron as a place of openness, communication and transparency. Hence the atrium-like centre that opens up into the individual levels. The resulting spaces are used for spontaneous or prearranged meetings, social interaction, and gatherings.
GU supplied the special hinges for the exterior windows of the all-round double glazed facade. The hinges are positioned on the outside and therefore made of high-quality stainless steel. Likewise, due to the exterior use of the hardware components, a robust, temperature and weather resistant high-performance slide bearing made from polymer material was chosen in order to achieve a durable and nearly maintenance-free special construction.

GU solution: hardware for the facade