Rab Butler Building
University of Essex
The Rab Butler Building was the first of the additions made by NHA to the University's Colchester campus. The building was designed for the Research Centre for Micro-Social Change (the British Household Panel Study).
It forms one of the family of individual buildings standing away from the raised central squares of the 1960s campus, distinct from the main academic buildings which are built in an uncompromising language of concrete and glass.
Its simple drum form enhanced the sense of identity of the Centre, and recalled the local Martello towers. The building is linked to the raised square by a steel bridge. The curved walls of sandblasted Forticrete blocks achieved economy while the rectangular geometry of the interior created efficient, well-lit offices and teaching spaces.
