Sir – I live bang opposite the newly completed student hostel buildings on the site of former Dorset House, London Road, Headington — a project by Berkeley Homes, to house 300-plus students.
As an architect, now retired, my working life was closely concerned with large buildings — halls of residence (in the 1950s), libraries, laboratories, and museums, in Oxford, London and elsewhere.
Perforce, now largely immobile, I have been captive audience for over a year to the construction of Berkeley’s hostel.
With its first students now arriving, it is time to record appreciation of both Berkeley’s on-site management, and their contractors, whose work throughout has been exemplary — well-organised, generating remarkably little disturbance, with health and safety rules, to my keen eye, rigorously observed.
Fascinating to watch, it has been a sort of ‘construction cabaret’.
Key, perhaps, is the forethought that went into the design. 300-plus prefabricated student room “boxes”, each with in-built toilet and shower cubicle, were brought to site in pairs by lorry, each load skilfully guided by the gateman through a very narrow opening, all with minimum delays to the London Road traffic.
A huge crane hoisted, placed and stacked the “boxes” — all 300 of them. Resort to prefabrication has saved time, kept the proclaimed finish date exactly to schedule, ensured quality, and avoided the waste, dust, and noise associated with traditional construction.
Existing trees on site have been carefully protected, as required by our planning authority, and saplings have been added to enhance the London Road frontage.
The whole project has been excellently directed and achieved. This, I feel, deserves praise. When Berkeley Homes first came on site, a notice was posted at the gate proclaiming ‘Considerate Construction’. My initial scepticism was rapidly demolished!
John Barrow, Headington