The Jackson Library, Exeter College

Architecture studio Nex— has undertaken a comprehensive refurbishment of The Jackson Library at Exeter College, the University of Oxford. The historic building has been sensitively restored via thoughtful contemporary interventions to create additional study space for students, and improve the building’s circulation, access, environmental performance, and services.

The addition of a new entrance, mezzanine floor and lift, along with the repurposing an existing single-storey structure into a connective link between the two wings of the library has greatly improved the library’s accessibility, user comfort and experience.

The material palette for the Grade II listed building places an emphasis on craft, tactility and the use of natural materials. Bespoke oak joinery is teamed with Junckers 185 mm wide Oak Nordic plank floorboards, which are fitted throughout the study areas. The solid wood floor provides a hard-wearing surface for high-traffic areas, with the white-pigmented Nordic finish reflecting natural light from the building’s new and historic clerestory lanterns.

Said Joe Dent, Associate, Nex—:
“The existing flooring in this building had been extensively damaged and replaced over the building’s 170-year lifespan, and so its conservation was not possible.

“Choosing the new flooring for this project was a key decision. It had to be robust enough to survive heavy traffic, be suitable to be laid over underfloor heating, and work visually to tie-together the historic bookcases and stonework with new oak joinery and panelled walls.

“Junckers solid wood Oak Nordic plank floorboards met all of our requirements. The boards have a beautiful grain, tone and finish, and are built to last. A goal for our project was to leave something behind which is as deserving of retention and conservation as the bookcases and stonework of the historic building we inherited, and with these floorboards, we feel confident of that being the case.”

Solid wood is an excellent flooring choice for heritage buildings. It offers both an authentic, natural material traditionally specified for a building of this calibre, and a hard-wearing surface with a design life of 60+ years. Junckers’ floors are prefinished with a factory-applied seal of ultra matt lacquer which
makes them easy to maintain and care for. Should the need arise, the floors can be sanded and refinished multiple times, generally at the same interval other flooring options will have to be replaced.

The project won the Public Sector category in the FX Design Awards 2024 and was shortlisted for the Architects Journal Architecture Awards 2024 – Higher Education Project; as well as shortlisted for the Wood Awards 2024 - Interiors & Small Projects.

The flooring contractor was Hutchison Flooring.

Photo: Will Pryce