Rick Mather Architect's designs for a sixth quad at Keble college are set to proceed following a £25million capital grant from the H B Allen Charitable Trust, the largest ever grant awarded by the Trust. The scheme will provide a mix of facilities that combines residential, communal, teaching and research facilities into a single complex including 230 rooms for graduate students, café, library, teaching rooms, 120 seat lecture theatre, exhibition space, research facilities, a gym, and a twenty-four bedroom "research hotel" for visiting academics. One of the occupants of the research space will be Professor Paul Newman's Mobile Robotics Group.

The design incorporates the 1897 Grade II listed building by Thomas Jackson. The strategy developed by Rick Mather Architects maximises the use of the entire site. By developing around the perimeter of the site, it follows Keble's original Butterfield approach, creating a large central open space - Keble's 'Sixth Quad'. Rick Mather also designed two previous, award winning buildings for Keble College - the ARCO building, completed in 1995 and Sloane Robinson building completed in 2002.

Enabling works have already started on site and the main build is due to commence in July.

"Rick Mather Architects have already designed two award winning buildings for Keble of which we are very proud. Their proposal offers a 21st Century reinterpretation of the traditional Oxford Quad that meets or exceeds all elements of the brief." Roger Boden, Bursar, Keble College