Oxford University glasshouse

Review of the Andrew Wiles Building, Oxford

There was no practical need for creating this monstrous glass facade. Inside is just a students' lounge with a few settees and a ridiculously high ceiling. Delusions of grandeur on the part of the architects. They did it so that their building would command a big view of the Radcliffe Observatory: never mind the fact that they were spoiling that same view for the people outside. They could have created the same amount of living space by constructing an inoffensive two-storey building with normal-size windows, still affording views of the old Observatory, without upsetting its surroundings. This thing looks like a giant greenhouse.

The best I can say about the Andrew Wiles Building is: at least it's not blue. The colours are sober enough that the brain can to some extent switch off from its ugliness: unlike other buildings, such as the John Radcliffe West Wing, which simply screech to be noticed.

The Andrew Wiles doesn't rate in the top ten of Oxford eyesores: it's just plain boring.