Oliver Smith from 5th Studio, together with AT Awards judges Isabel Allen, Simon Allford, Hanif Kara and Nana Biamah-Ofosu discuss the exemplary retrofit of one of Cambridge University’s Grade I listed buildings and its role in challenging attitudes towards heritage and conservation. Timothy Soar’s photographs capture the project as it looks today.
The refurbishment of New Court at Trinity College, Cambridge, by 5th Studio and Max Fordham set out to make the Grade I listed hall of residence fit-for- purpose for the next 200 years. Designed by William Wilkins and completed in 1822, the building had been subject to ad hoc alterations over the years, none of which addressed changing requirements relating to fire safety, environmental health, thermal performance and energy consumption, or modern-day expectations of amenity and comfort.
The project set new standards for the careful conservation and retrofit of our historic building stock, but also for best practice in terms of understanding and analysing existing fabric, post-occupancy evaluation and disseminating research. Data is being shared with the local authority and Historic England. The Cambridge City Local Plan has adopted the methodology developed on this project as an exemplar for the sustainable retrofit of historic and listed buildings.
The ‘invisible’ retrofit provides the perfect stage set for the theatre of Cambridge life.
Simon Allford William Wilkins’ New Court has already stood the test of time, lasting over two centuries. It has even had the difficult Grade 1 Listed accolade bestowed upon it. This project is important because it addresses a vital design question: when the outside is listed and the inside is listed, as are the windows, where does the wiring, plumbing and insulation go? Developed over three years and proven in use, the architects and engineers advised by their critical friend the ‘Brains Trust’ – Bill Bordass, Bill Gething and Brian Ridout – have delivered a sympathetic yet critically intelligent model for creating Banham’s well-tempered environment in a way that is also suitable for approval by Historic England. New Court is a 21st Century reinvention of what Cedric Price termed a ‘medieval castle with 13 amp plugs’. I expect he would approve – if only because the architect of this reinvention has had the confidence, and good sense, to disappear and let the theatre of everyday student life in a Georgian mock castle take over!
Hanif Kara The opportunity for design research that draws in micro-scientific approaches is rare – this team identified an opportunity to take this on and created a rigorous approach to challenging conventions. The application of the research and the impact on the project will be replicated. We should be grateful that the team shared this work.
The East Gate viewed from Trinity Lane; a gateway to student life in a Georgian mock castle.
Isabel Allen This project was the catalyst for the Architecture Today Awards and has done everything right. In many ways it’s a niche scheme, in that there are very few clients with the resources to fund such a lengthy, costly undertaking. But we should be grateful that Trinity College had the vision to invest its considerable weight behind such a worthwhile project, and, crucially, the appetite to monitor performance and share the results. Ironically, having completed seven long years of post-occupancy evaluation, the scheme was deemed to have passed its sell-by date and was ‘too old’ to be eligible for the mainstream architectural awards. This was the moment that convinced Architecture Today the time had come for an awards scheme that values buildings for the lessons they can teach us rather than for being shiny and new.
Windows have been repaired and refurbished with an additional layer of glass. English Heritage conceded that the double glazing has had no negative impact on the visual integrity of the historic facades.
Oliver Smith, architect On-going monitoring has confirmed that energy consumption and carbon emissions have been reduced by 80 per cent. Just as importantly there is a marked increase in student satisfaction. Clearly, it’s possible to develop a scheme that improves environmental performance and comfort and obtains listed building consent, but it takes effort and time. You have to know your building inside out. Not just its physical form, but its social and political context. It’s important to get to grips with all relevant stakeholders, guidance, precedents, organisations and policies, and the cast of characters involved. You don’t have to agree with everything they say, but you’re more likely to get results if you give their expertise the respect that it deserves.
Nana Biamah-Ofosu A meticulous, complex and technically robust project whose success is in the very little traces it leaves. It is an example of how often the best outcome for a project is to simply do no harm. Beyond this, it has given New Court the ability to continue to stand the test of time.
Project presentation
View Oliver Smith from 5th Studio give a presentation on New Court below
Additional Images
