HBA were approached by Charlie Brentnall of Carpenter Oak to assist in the development of a complex timber vaulted roof to Radley College in Oxford. Working with Purcell Architects and Paul Slemmings at Carpenter Oak, HBA’s role was to unpick the complicated geometry proposed at design stage and make it buildable. With over 30 years of experience in the more challenging aspects of timber framing and an intimate understanding of architectural detailing and medieval geometry, HBA acted as a link between the design team whose knowledge of framing issues was limited and the framers whose focus was on the carpentry rather than the aesthetics. The octagonal and arched nature of the structure was significantly at odds with more traditional orthogonal framing and required detailed geometric calculations to ensure components intersected correctly in 3D. The roof comprised 1177 sections of timber and 322 joints including machining over 500m of curves and backing cuts which is a greater testament to the carpenter’s skills than the designers.
In May 2023 the extension to Radley College Chapel received the top regional award from RIBA, winning the RIBA South Building of the Year Award 2023 and the Regional Conservation Award. The following month in June 2023, it also became a RIBA National Award winner 2023 (one of only 30 buildings in the UK to do so).
