Ash Court, Girton College

Situated on the northern edge of the city, physically removed from most of Cambridge's other colleges. Girton has a distinct identity. 33-hectares of leafy, landscaped grounds surround the red-brick high gothic of Waterhouse's original college buildings, which along with various later additions by Waterhouse's son and grandson, and Giles Gilbert Scott, are arranged around a series of open-ended grassed courtyards. Whilst the setting is undeniably fine, like many higher education institutions, Girton is working to reconcile the constraints of its built heritage with the demands of the 21st Century student, and plans for future development and expansion, in particular an increase in postgraduate numbers.

Our winning design reinforces Girton's architectural language by following the existing pattern of College courtyard development with a simple, robust, linear building designed as a natural extension of the College. Taking cues from existing College buildings, the new wing is built over three storeys with rooms disposed along one side of a naturally-lit and naturally-ventilated corridor, where large windows with deep reveals provide an informal place to sit, chat and meet other students.

Placing the long wing of bedroom accommodation to the north-east side enables all the bedrooms to enjoy good morning light while minimising afternoon heat gain, and to exploit the exceptional quality of the views towards a pond and gardens to the east. The garden elevation presents a single, uninterrupted red brick facade, with deep set bedroom windows grouped together to form tall oriels that break through the line of the roof as dormers. The elevation facing into Ash Court is less formal and is punctuated by two projecting bays accommodating the shared kitchens (two per floor), two staircases and a lift.

The success of Ash Court and recent developments at nearby North West Cambridge and Darwin Green prompted the College to significantly rethink its long-term estates strategy. As a result, they subsequently appointed us to produce a masterplan for Girton's entire site to guide the development of a possible further 150-400 student rooms and an auditorium amongst other opportunities - helping to establish a vision for the next 25 years. We worked very closely with the College to prepare a considered, long term strategy to consolidate their estate and make the most of this unique site, culminating in a successful outline planning application for substantial new expansion. The masterplan also identified a series of priority projects that we have recently completed including improvements to the College entrance, and better facilities for staff and students on the site such as an all day cafe and informal social spaces.