Glencar has been appointed to deliver an expansion of the Oxford University’s Collections Storage Facility in Swindon.
Commissioned by Oxford University’s Gardens, Libraries and Museums (GLAM), the project includes a 69-week build programme due to complete in August 2026. Construction started in April.
Glencar did not disclose the value of the job in its announcement this morning (20 May).
The scheme will see a new climate-controlled fifth chamber added to the existing facility in South Marston, along with a storage area for zoological specimens that will include ATEX-rated mechanical and electrical systems.
Designed by architect Purcell and delivered by a team including Bidwells & Ridge and engineer Price and Myers, the buildings are being constructed to Passivhaus Classic standards.
Other features include a conservation laboratory, digitisation studio, secure loading bay and visitor facilities.
The Swindon storage facility serves the Bodleian Libraries’ archive of more than 8 million books and manuscripts and support collections from the Ashmolean Museum, the Museum of Natural History, the Pitt Rivers Museum and the History of Science Museum.
Richard Ovenden, head of GLAM, said the expansion was “critical” to the long-term preservation of the university’s collections.
Source: Glencar press release