The Middle East Center of St. Anthony's, the work of Zaha Hadid, was approved by the city in a redesigned form: initially, its façades were to be light gray to contrast with the surrounding historic red brick buildings. In early summer, the British Committee for the Control of Architecture and Construction CABE declared it unacceptable. But now the building, dubbed Softbridge, will be faced with bronze-colored panels, which has neutralized the claims of officials. Thanks to the change in color, the building, connecting the two buildings of the 19th century, only gained in showiness.
The second project, a new building for the university's Department of Earth Sciences, proved less controversial. It is a five-story building for 400 students and teachers. One wing contains research laboratories, the other - classrooms and classrooms of teachers. They are connected by the main staircase and the atrium, as well as - the “narrative wall” - the eastern facade of the building, faced with Perbek limestone of two types with the inclusion of frosted glass glazing panels, which should give special softness to the lighting inside the educational building. At first glance, the chaotic combination of materials should depict the layers of the bedding of rocks.
The ground floor houses the lobby, library center, seminar rooms and student laboratories; thus, they are separated from the laboratories of graduate students and faculty members so that nothing interferes with their research. The construction of the building should begin this fall and finish before the start of the 2010/11 academic year.
