A renovation project, retrofitting and refurbishing student accommodation at Pembroke College, was “Highly Commended” at the 2025 Oxford Preservation Trust (OPT) awards earlier this month. At the awards ceremony, which took place at St John’s College, Pembroke was recognised in the “Adaptive Re-use” category.
The renovations of 21 to 24 Pembroke Street, comprising four grade II listed cottages in Pembroke’s North Quad, took nine months to complete. They included fabric improvements to the buildings’ facades and the restoration of heritage features, including fireplaces which were lost in previous renovations during the 1960s.
The OPT Awards acknowledge excellence in design, conservation, and sustainability in Oxford, celebrating projects which enhance the city’s landscape and demonstrate a communal focus. This year, plaques were awarded to eight projects, with thirteen runners-up. Harris Manchester College won in the “Adaptive Re-Use” category for their College chapel renovation. Merton College also took home a winner’s plaque in the “Building Conservation” category, awarded for work done on the stained-glass windows of their Old Library.
A spokesperson for Pembroke told Cherwell: “Everything we do at Pembroke is underpinned by our core purpose, which is to serve the common good through the provision of education and the promotion of scholarship and research, but we know that today this involves adapting to a changing world around us.”
While the refurbishments have enhanced the buildings’ original character, the installation of a low carbon enabled heating system reflects the College’s commitment to sustainability. Other areas of the College’s site have also been decarbonised.
Throughout the refurbishment, Pembroke emphasised the importance of student satisfaction. One first year undergraduate who now lives in the renovated staircases told Cherwell: “I love the building. The recent renovations have made living in a college dorm feel more like living in a holiday resort. The rooms, the living areas, the kitchen, the bathrooms, all of it is done to an excellent standard. The price of the accommodation is the second cheapest at Pembroke and yet by far the best accommodation here.”
The renovation plans were drawn up by Ridge and Partners, a built environment consultancy whom the college has worked with previously. Subsequent building work was completed by Benfield and Loxley, the principal contractor for the project.
