The opening of this unique architectural and landscape complex worth 48 million pounds was honored with her presence by Queen Elizabeth II of Great Britain.
The Forum, this new hub for the university's academic and social life, is located on the Streatham campus, which is characterized by rugged hilly terrain. However, the architects brilliantly took advantage of this natural feature. Due to the unevenness of the landscape, they managed to form two compositional centers of the complex, connected by terraces, pedestrian paths, arched esplanades and other public spaces intended for study, recreation and communication of students in the fresh air.
The first compositional center (conference hall) is located slightly higher, the second (library) is at the foot of the hill, adjacent to it is a partially terraced entrance area. At its northwestern end stands a one-story building with a rounded shape that follows the shape of a hill - the student affairs center. The open area of the complex is decorated with glass sculptures by the artist Alexander Beleshenko. Landscaping was done by Hargreaves Associates.
The upper part of the forum includes a student guild building, a laboratory and seminar building and a conference hall with 400 seats. The space is organized in the form of a passage, that is, a covered pedestrian street, on the sides of which cafes, shops, and bank branches are projected. The volume of the conference room is lined with bricks, its curved facades are equipped with panoramic windows with views of the campus.
The roof over the top of the complex is a truly unique structure designed by Buro Happold's engineers. It covers an area of 3500 m2 without internal support elements that could obstruct traffic on the internal street. It is one of the largest wooden roofs in the world. Its sinusoidal curves contrast sharply with the rectangular shapes of the original brick buildings on the campus. Above, the base of Canadian spruce is covered with copper patinated plates, and instead of glass - this is noticeable if you look closely at the triangular light openings - an ETFE membrane is used. For the interior decoration, the architects used tinted oak wood, which also went to the cladding of the roof edges.
The authors of the project and representatives of the administration of the University of Exeter are convinced that the Forum will help the campus become the center of social and cultural life in the region, and the educational institution - to enter the top ten in the country.
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