Clare's Buildings

Old Court

In October 2020 Phase 1a of the refurbishment and transformation of Old Court was completed on time and under budget. This included the reconfiguration of the Porters’ Lodge to allow disabled access and the re-roofing of the North Range with beautiful Collyweston slate.

The structural fabric of the roof was in surprisingly good condition, particularly as it was established through carbon-dating to date back 395 years. This phase also included relocating Old Court’s boiler room in order to make way for the new River Room, which will overlook the Cam. Completion of Phase 1a allowed Phase 1b to commence in September 2020, following the installation of a roadway from the Backs through the Fellows’ Garden and a temporary bridge over the Cam. The installation of the temporary bridge was a feat of engineering and logistics, which had to be completed at night to minimise disruption. The team encountered a bump in the road when the first attempt to manoeuvre the main portion of the structure into place was abandoned as the piles that supported the crane began to sink into the bank. On the second night the work was completed with only five minutes to spare before the river working permit from Cam Conservators expired.

As can be expected from a building of this age, many challenges have arisen during this phase of the works. The contractor discovered asbestos in the mortar joints, which was impossible to identify through a survey. Once the finishes were stripped from the 20th-century additions to Old Court’s North Range, it was found that these structures did not abut the original H staircase but, in fact, supported it, which led to a significant delay while temporary support works were designed and installed. It was also found that the existing River Room was constructed on top of an older culvert leading out to the River, which again required civil engineering changes but yielded some interesting archaeology finds.

We have spent much of the year demolishing and digging around in the dirt, but the project is now moving forward with tangible construction elements. The new concealed lift in the front steps to the Great Hall is already installed and the new stone steps will be completed before the end of the year.

Meanwhile, in the kitchens, services (ventilation, hot and cold pipes) are being installed within the large floor void. The College is now deciding on furnishings and lighting for the new spaces to create a friendly and dynamic atmosphere.

St Regis

In January 2020 we completed a two-year construction project to build 85 new student units on Chesterton Rd, comprising 61 student rooms, mostly with en-suites, 15 self-contained studios and 9 one-bedroom flats. Sustainability was high on the agenda of this new build, which replaced uninsulated rooms and flats, numerous inefficient boilers and a leaking roof. The new site is powered by a combined heat and power plant and has photo-voltaic panels on the roof, both of which allow the College to generate its own electricity. The site is insulated to a very high standard, and the internal blockwork is constructed using recycled blast furnace slag. Electric car charging points have been installed, and the site boasts attractive landscaped gardens planted with native species and herbs for the students to relax in. Student rooms are serviced by kitchens shared between eight, and there is a common room, which all residents enjoy.

The project was delivered on budget, but completion was delayed by five months because of the pandemic, where numbers of operatives on-site had to be reduced for safety reasons. St Regis provides an increase in Clare’s accommodation capacity, which will allow the College’s intake of graduate students to expand.

Hamilton Road flats

The old St Regis site extended from Chesterton Road to Hamilton Road, and the College developed the rear of the site as a separate block of one-and two-bedroom flats to be let on the open market, and thereby providing the College with ongoing income. The flats were completed in early June and fully let by July.

Summer Projects

Alongside our major construction projects, our in-house team, supported by sub-contractors, has been busy improving other areas of the College outside term time.

Colony

The existing tree roots in the large courtyard at Castle House on the Colony site had disrupted the block paving, causing a significant trip hazard.
The paving has been relaid and the trees replaced with more suitable species.

Elsewhere around the Colony, Etheldreda has seen more secondary double glazing installed and the first-floor kitchen refurbished. The bathroom at 12a Castle Street has been refitted and a new efficient boiler installed at St Andrews. We have commissioned an architect ahead of the refurbishment of Braeside. Their brief includes reconfiguring the roof space to create additional accommodation, converting half of the rooms to en-suites, upgrading the insulation and adding double glazing to the windows.

Memorial Court

The Porters’ Lodge at Memorial Court is currently covered in scaffolding to carry out repairs to the 100-year-old roof, because of concerns of tiles slipping. This will be completed in early 2022.

Later in the year, the team will be installing electric vehicle charging points on Thirkill Drive to encourage Fellows and staff to make the switch to more environmentally friendly forms of transport.

Surveys

Two big surveys were carried out over the summer: the five-yearly condition survey of the Estate, and an accessibility survey. The condition survey will be presented to the Estates Committee in Michaelmas Term and will be used to help direct future expenditure on the Estate. The accessibility survey will provide not only a report for the College but also an app that students and visitors can use to understand how the fabric of the existing buildings might affect them around College.

Teams

The team has remained fairly stable throughout the last couple of years and provided essential emergency cover to the College properties, even during the two lockdowns. When the students were not in residence, this included running every tap in the College to ensure the safety of our water supply – which is no mean feat!

Recently the team has been joined by Joe Stephen, formerly Senior Kitchen Porter at Clare, who became our Maintenance Assistant and is undertaking a maintenance apprenticeship.

Reactive Maintenance

In the last 12 months the maintenance website has logged 2,962 maintenance requests, with 2,828 completed and closed in the year. This is just over a third lower than previous years, reflecting the lower numbers of students in residence and the lockdown period.