Blavatnik School of Government

The place

The Blavatnik School of Government is one of the leading public policy schools in the world, affiliated with the University of Oxford and founded in 2010 thanks to a donation from businessman Leonard Blavatnik. Its building, completed in 2015 and located in the Radcliffe Observatory Quarter on Walton Street, was designed by the Swiss firm Herzog & de Meuron. Forgoing traditional stone facades of Oxford, the architects envisioned a concrete and glass structure composed of slightly offset stacked circular volumes. The centerpiece of the building is a vast cylindrical atrium, the Forum, whose round shape echoes iconic monuments of the city such as the Radcliffe Camera and the Sheldonian Theatre. The large bay window overlooking the entrance, named "Window to the World," is among the largest double-glazed glass panels in Europe.