The Institute of Criminology and the Faculty of English have both been given the go-ahead for new buildings on the Sidgwick site. Cambridge City Council’s planning committee have granted outline approval for the two buildings, which are expected to be completed in the summer of 2003.
The Institute of Criminology and the Faculty of English have both been given the go-ahead for new buildings on the Sidgwick site. Cambridge City Council’s planning committee have granted outline approval for the two buildings, which are expected to be completed in the summer of 2003.
The Institute of Criminology is currently housed at 7 West Road which, despite several extensions over the years and the use of temporary buildings, is too small for its present and future needs. A new building elsewhere in the site will be built for them.
The proposed new building will offer approximately 2,800 m2 of useable space on five floors, including a large basement. Facilities will include space for administration and academic staff, seminar rooms, a large library area on the ground and first floors, common rooms, a boardroom/conference room, and space for research teams and postgraduates.
The Faculty of English is at 9 West Road, a building originally designed as a private house and subsequently modified for use as a teaching and office space for the University. Even 30 years ago it was acknowledged that such a converted domestic building could provide space for only a fraction of the Faculty's activities.
The new building will be an intellectual and social hub, providing a setting in which staff and students can both work and also meet and exchange ideas. An effective balance between public and private space, between areas for interaction and areas for reflection and study, will be the key to the design of this building. There will be space in which seminars, classes, and both academic and social events can be held, as well as space for private study and for administration.
The procurement of the new buildings is being managed by the University’s Estate Management and Building Service and the architects for both is Allies & Morrison.
Allies and Morrison was founded in 1984 following its success in the open competition for the design of a new public square in front of the new National Gallery of Scotland in Edinburgh. The practice has won eight RIBA awards, and in 1997 they were voted ‘Up and Coming Practice of the Year’ in the annual Building Awards.
The contractor interviews took place in late December and Wates have been selected for stage 1 of the project. The two projects will run concurrently.
Professor Barry Windeatt, chair of the Buildings sub-committee said about the new English building:
"The proposed building will allow the Faculty of English to meet the recent changes in teaching methods; in particular, the use of information technology. It will also bring together many disparate parts of the Faculty under one roof.
"Although sad to see the old building go, the Faculty is looking forward to occupying the new one in 2004 and having all the intellectual and social benefits that it will bring for students and teachers alike."
Professor Michael Tonry, Director of the Institute of Criminology says:
"I am delighted that outline planning approval has been given to our proposed new building. We have ‘coped’ for far too long in our current home. We can now plan for the future and meet the anticipated expansion needs in the years to come; giving the Institute the presence and identity to match its world-class standing as a social and behavioural science research centre."
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