Trinity’s Jackson Building wins Best Low Carbon Building at Oxford Property Awards

The Jackson Building was shortlisted alongside Brasenose College’s Frewin Hall and the University of Oxford’s Schwarzman Centre for the Humanities, making the award a particularly significant recognition of Trinity’s approach to combining sustainability with the conservation of its historic estate.

Trinity’s Estates Bursar, Chris Ferguson, accepted the award on behalf of the College alongside Andrew Dawson of Original Field of Architecture, the architects for the project.

The award reflects the work of a much wider project team. In particular, Clerk of Works Andrew Hooper played a major role in managing and delivering the project for Trinity. He was supported by Accommodation Manager Jonathan Davies and the Estates team, who oversaw the fast and effective refurbishment of all 57 bedrooms. Meanwhile, colleagues in the Gardens team followed on with the beautiful restoration of the College gardens.

The Jackson Building project involved replacing its previous gas-based heating with a ground source heat pump system, together with substantial improvements to the fabric and energy efficiency of the Grade II listed building. Twenty-two boreholes, approximately 170 metres deep, were installed beneath the lawns to supply the system.

Alongside the new heating infrastructure, the project included a new central heating system, secondary glazing and loft insulation. The work was completed in February 2025, with the gardens subsequently restored following the installation of the boreholes.

The scheme represents an important part of Trinity’s wider programme to reduce emissions from its estate. The College estimates that the ground source heat pump project has reduced its carbon footprint by around 100 tonnes of CO₂e each year. 40% of the funding was provided by a grant from the Government’s Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme.

The project has also attracted recognition at national level. The Jackson Building is featured as a case study in the UK Government’s Warm Homes Plan, which highlights the project as an example of how significant energy-efficiency improvements and clean heating technologies can be introduced successfully into complex historic buildings.

The Government case study notes that the Jackson Building, dating from the 1870s, had previously been Trinity’s largest consumer of gas. It highlights the combination of building-fabric improvements and ground source heat pumps, as well as the successful restoration of the gardens above the boreholes, and describes the project as a model for adopting sustainable practices without compromising architectural heritage.

The Oxford Property Award is therefore both a recognition of the technical achievement of the project and a welcome vote of confidence in the work of Trinity staff and the many external specialists involved in its delivery.

The Jackson Building has also been submitted for an Oxford Preservation Trust Award, with the results due to be announced at the Trust’s awards ceremony in November.

The latest success follows Trinity’s wider recognition for its environmental work. Earlier this year, the College received a Beyond Gold Award, the highest level of accreditation in the University of Oxford’s Green Impact programme, reflecting the College’s continuing work to reduce carbon emissions and embed sustainability across its operations and estate.