The Need
Teddy Hall is one of only a few colleges which cannot house all of its undergraduates, leaving students to find their own private accommodation in one of UK’s the most expensive cities or choose to study at another Oxford college. To address this, we want to house all undergraduates who wish to live in for all of their course in high quality and sustainably designed accommodation.
Norham St Edmund embodies care for two precious things – our students and our planet. The creation of 127 bedrooms and communal facilities at the Norham St Edmund site (17 Norham Gardens) will help move the Hall towards becoming net zero in energy use, improve access, encourage biodiversity, and catalyse a creative and inclusive college culture.
I’ve been involved with many of the meetings designing the new Norham villa, and can honestly say it’s looking like exactly the kind of space a student would thrive in. The entire design revolves around sustainability and light, open spaces where Teddy Hall students can not just work, but socialise and relax. Teddy Hall is unique in its embracing of college culture and a cohort that’s like a family, and I truly believe that the new Norham Building encompasses that entirely. I also know it’ll take away a lot of stress that students often feel when it comes from organising houses and renting from private landlords, and the contract means that it’ll be more manageable financially, which is always ideal when you’re on a student budget.
It is sometimes difficult for postgraduate students in Oxford to feel like they belong to a college community, being often too busy in the life of their departments and their labs. The accommodation and communal spaces in Norham Gardens has always been at the heart of what makes the MCR such a vibrant community in the college. The new Norham Gardens building will be a way to increase the availability of rooms to incoming postgraduate students and enhance the community that we continuously strive to build through incredibly welcoming new communal facilities for the wider MCR.
The Vision
This innovative development will provide a sense of community, connection and camaraderie for all.
Our commitment to conservation and an environmentally sustainable design is central to this project.
Watch our fly-through video to see the different aspects of the development.
The Design Brief
Our new buildings will have Passivhaus status – the industry gold standard for energy-efficient buildings. Brilliantly designed spaces – with en-suite bedrooms, kitchens, communal areas and gardens – will deliver significant income in term-time rentals but are also highly valued for conference clients in the vacation periods.
The provision of the new Norham St Edmund accommodation will be transformational for the College and its students. It will ensure that our undergraduates are no longer subject to the vagaries of the Oxford rental market, which will not only be financially beneficial to them, but also important in terms of welfare and support. The climate and biodiversity crisis has been at the heart of the Hall’s response to meeting its housing need, and Wright & Wright’s design has managed to bring a Passivhaus design sensitively into the North Oxford Conservation Area. The College’s financial investment in this building development is substantial, and I hope that alumni and friends will support us in bringing this project to fruition.
The Funding Goal
This development requires a significant capital investment of which the Hall has committed its own private placement funds, together with a fundraising target of £15m.
Norham St Edmund will generate a significant per annum uplift in income, providing a new level of financial sustainability.
Two sites – one community!
- £15m Total Need 37%
£5.6m Raised
£9.4m to go
£5.6m raised. £9.4m to go
The Opportunity
The following naming opportunities, and more, are available:
- £4,000 – A pledge of £4k per annum for five years, plus Gift Aid, will fund a bedroom
- £25,000 – Will fund individual bedrooms
- £50,000 – Will fund JCR/MCR Communal spaces
- £50,000-£250,000 – Will fund Garden spaces
- £750,000-£2,000,000 – Will fund individual buildings
- £10,000,000 – Will fund the overall ‘campus’ at Norham Gardens
What can I fund?
For more information, please contact:
Andrew Vivian, Fellow and Director of Development
+44 (0)1865 279096
St Edmund Hall, Queen’s Lane, OX1 4AR
- Hallmarks Campaign Total £50m 23%
