Transforming a Historic Oxford Landmark

Reuben College, the University of Oxford's newest graduate college, formed part of a £45 million redevelopment of the Grade II-listed Radcliffe Science Library. The ambitious project created modern facilities for interdisciplinary research while carefully preserving the historic character of the existing building. New facilities included teaching spaces, meeting rooms, study areas, dining facilities and specialist storage environments designed to support the university's world-leading academic programmes.

The Challenge of High-Performance Basement Spaces

A key element of the redevelopment involved creating highly controlled basement environments for sensitive archives and museum collections. These spaces required exceptional airtightness performance to maintain stable internal conditions and protect valuable materials.

The lower basement was required to achieve an airtightness target of 0.6m³/h·m² @ 50Pa, while a dedicated sub-basement required an even more demanding target of 0.3m³/h·m² @ 50Pa. Achieving these standards within a historic building presented a significant technical challenge.

Why Airtight White Was Selected

Morgan Sindall partnered with Intelligent Membranes to implement a bespoke airtightness strategy using Airtight White®. The liquid-applied membrane provided a seamless airtight layer across walls, soffits and complex junctions, eliminating many of the weaknesses associated with traditional membrane systems.

The product's moisture resistance, mould protection and bright white finish made it particularly well suited to archive storage and teaching environments where long-term durability and environmental control were critical.

Precision Application Across Complex Structures

The Intelligent Membranes installation team applied Airtight White using specialist airless spray equipment throughout the basement structure. Careful detailing was carried out around beams, service penetrations, vaults and structural junctions to ensure complete continuity of the airtight layer.

Coordination with follow-on trades helped protect the membrane and maintain performance throughout construction.

Award-Winning Sustainability

The success of the airtightness strategy formed part of the wider sustainability achievements of the project. Reuben College was recognised with the Low Carbon Project of the Year Award at the 2024 OxProp Awards, highlighting the successful combination of heritage preservation, modern construction techniques and low-carbon building design. 

Contact Intelligent Membranes to discuss Airtight White, Passive Purple, moisture management systems and complete building envelope performance solutions.