The redevelopment of Durham University’s £16.5m business school
There’s something of James Stirling’s Neue Staatsgallerie entrance to the redevelopment of Durham University’s £16.5m business school, designed by GSS Architecture. The building is topped off with an ‘iconic’, fully glazed, naturally ventilated extension, which the architect claims has turned a transient corridor into the effective social heart of the new facility. With the curved form meaning every pane of glass was unique, the Glulam timber structure was modelled in 3D for fabrication. Counter pointing this, two other new wings were added which echo the University’s more traditional collegiate quadrangle form. The business school, one of only a handful in the UK with triple accreditation, has clearly made the leap to Big Jim via the Big Bang.