NEUTROPIA: THE OXFORD ENCLAVE CIVIC MUSEUM

Following a period of civil unrest taking place in 2025, Oxford Street has been left in ruins. Dissatisfaction with the lack of action taken for climate change has led to widespread violence along the street. This culminates with organised groups claiming new territories, aggressively defending these spaces from the army. The war leaves the urban grain of Oxford Street, once densely populated, with large open spaces devastated by heavy artillery. With this action, these groups claim the district, naming it The Oxford Enclave. To help generate a sense of civic pride within the Enclave, the project consists of a museum reflecting on the history of capitalism, as a system that is outdated and in need of change. A timber structural retention system will support the existing concrete frame, whilst also providing a new grid to place the museum’s functions within. This will include temporary and permanent exhibition spaces, a lecture hall, and classrooms. The museum backs onto a newly erected civic square, which connects onto a block housing political discussion and voting. The square is faced on all sides by the rubble generated from the war, reconstructed into an arching colonnade to give a unifying elevation to the square.