The University of Winchester required a prominent structure to enclose an existing courtyard within the original 1860’s building. The purpose of the structure was to create a new Senior Common Room, providing space for Academic staff and a flexible venue for seminars and other events. The courtyard contained a ‘temporary’ teaching building, used as an I.T store for redundant equipment, with air handling plant on the roof for an adjacent lecture theatre. The lecture theatre has been extended in the past into another courtyard, removing daylight and natural ventilation from all the surrounding spaces. Studio Four proposed an overall design approach which removed all extensions structures from the main courtyard and proposed that a smaller courtyard be opened up to re-establish natural ventilation and daylight. A brief was formulated and the need for the following accommodation was established: New Senior Common Room with a servery; New corridor link access across courtyard; New replacement lecture theatre, connected to Senior Common Room via acoustic bi-folding doors; 3 new meeting rooms replacing existing stores; New WC’s including accessible WC; All to be naturally ventilated; New LED lighting. Studio Four presented a number of options to the University for an ‘iconic’ design that would enhance the space and create a focal point at the heart of the historic building. Of the various proposals, a simple structure with translucent ‘spikes’ was selected. These spikes reach up to catch low sunlight and transfer it to tapered prisms in the ceiling. At night, the process is reversed and LED lights illuminate the prisms and spikes with colour, changing light from within, visible from the surrounding external University and public spaces. In addition, the gap between spike and prism allows stale air in the room to be vented automatically. Wheelchair access was carefully considered in the scheme. A recent project on the campus involved adding a lift to make all teaching spaces accessible to students/staff in wheelchairs. In this scheme all the main accommodation is located at ground floor level to make overall access easier. As the Atrium will also be used for extra-curricular events, inclusive design had to be a key priority. In summary, the scheme re-vitalises an important redundant courtyard, enhances the appearance of the original historic building elevations, creates new flexible accommodation, removes the previous reliance on mechanical ventilation and artificial lighting and uses readily-available products in an innovative way to create a unique building. Programme: Initial Feasibility Study: April 2012; Instruction to proceed to Planning: August 2012; Start on site: 29 April 2013; Completion: December 2013; Budget: Contract Sum: £1m. Inclusive design: New accessible WC; All areas accessible by wheelchair; Contrasting colours and way finding for visually impaired.