Refurbishment of Christ’s College, Cambridge University
Client:
Christ’s College, Cambridge, Lasdun Building
SERVICES PROVIDED
Extensive Refurbishment
PROJECT DESCRIPTION:
When we were approached by Christ’s College Cambridge to report on the feasibility of refurbishing their iconic ‘Typewriter’ building, they viewed it as a major maintenance headache. Sir Denys Lasdun’s ‘brutalist’ conception of the ziggurat form had deteriorated badly since its construction in the mid-1960s, and the problems it presented to the college were legion. It was clear from the outset, however, that if these problems could be overcome, the building could once again be the major asset to the college that it was at its inception.
The building was originally designed as 66 student bedrooms and 6 fellows’ apartments. There was also a small combined gymnasium and theatre, student and masters’ common rooms, squash courts, and a laundry. Our brief reflected a major change in that the college wished to utilise the building as a conference facility during holiday times. This meant reconfiguration to provide en-suite toilet facilities for all of the bedrooms and the provision of a high-quality lecture theatre and refreshment accommodation.
The physical defects to be overcome included:
- Concrete ‘cancer’
- 167 rainwater leaks
- Corroded mill finish aluminium single-glazed windows
- An inaccessible, corroded, uncharted labyrinth of broken heating pipes
- Unsightly stained concrete façade elements
- Poor quality, inefficient lighting
All of these issues were overcome. The concrete was repaired and sacrificial anodes were inserted to prevent reoccurrence, roofs were waterproofed (and insulation added), slim-section coated metal double glazing was added and the bedroom heating was converted to an electrical system.
The internal configuration of the building was redesigned to meet the challenging brief. The project took 15 months to complete and cost £6.5 million. The building is now offset beautifully by a new garden created to celebrate the bicentenary of Charles Darwin’s birth, one of the college’s most famous alumni.
“The refurbishment project of Christ’s College Cambridge was completed by the Chartered Architects, Wilby & Burnett. With over 30 years of experience and numerous awards to their name, Wilby & Burnett were able to successfully tackle the physical defects identified in the brief.”
“The College has completed many projects with Wilby & Burnett and all to a high standard and within the time frame required. Their project management skills and clear communications have created a professional attitude throughout the project team. I would highly recommend Wilby & Burnett for major building projects.”
