The Gradel Quadrangles, Oxford
Just published - a 24 page tabloid with a selection of photos and accompanying text of my favourite brutalist buildings in Bristol.
Tolkien inspired accommodation amongst the dreaming spires
Described by Oliver Wainwright in The Guardian as “A chubby, rhubarb and custard-coloured tower bedecked with anteaters and moles make a fun neighbour to the city’s dreaming spires.”
Opened in 2024, The Gradel Quandrangles was designed by David Kohn Architects (winner of the 2022 RIBA House of the Year with Red House) during the Covid pandemic and as a nod, its tower is topped with a pangolin. The buildings consist of student accommodation alongside classrooms, an auditorium and an assembly hall for the prep school next door. It is Oxford’s first curved quad.
It is an unusual addition to Oxford’s architecture. I like it for its joyful originality. Coming across it for the first time was a wow moment for me. Of course, not everyone agrees. Something this quirky isn’t to everyone’s taste.
“It has been a bit of a Marmite building. When people first saw it, they couldn’t describe it. And if people can’t describe something, they become very uncomfortable.” (Miles Young, warden of New College).
