Clare’s Buildings
Slowly, over the last 12 months, things have returned to near normal for the Buildings Department, and again the year was busy. The team welcomed a new senior carpenter, and plumber, while the existing plumber was promoted to senior plumber. Estates Director Deborah Hoy reflects on the challenges, milestones and achievements of 2021–22.
Old Court
Phase 1b: The transformational phase of the building work in Old Court made excellent progress. Following ground works and the removal of twentieth-century additions along the North Passage, the timber frame of the extension was erected and completed. Extensive works were also undertaken in the kitchen including underpinning the historic walls, forming service trenches under the floor, reinstating the structural floors, and cladding the internal walls. Electrical services were installed in the ancillary kitchen and a specialist resin floor cast. The Old Court Working Party and the Architects agreed a scheme for the furniture and fittings of the River Room.
Phase 2: More recently, work commenced on the design of the next stage of the project; this will include the re-roofing of the East, South and West Ranges of Old Court, as well as rewiring and central heating installation in D and E staircases.
Great Hall: Thanks to an exceptionally generous donation, enhancements will be made to the Hall to enable it to become a more flexible space for performances and College events, as well as formal meals. IIt is hoped to conclude the design work by the end of September 2022 with works commencing in the middle of Michaelmas term. The works include new furniture, lighting, improved ventilation and re-decoration of the Hall.
Alongside the major construction projects, our in-house team, supported by external contractors, were busy improving other areas of the College.
Master’s Lodge: The in-house team is re-fitting the Master’s cloakroom (which was dismantled as part of Old Court Phase 1b) and the guest cloakroom. Following minor cracking to plasterwork, caused when the basement kitchen walls were being underpinned, the ground floor rooms of the Lodge were redecorated (for the first time in nearly 20 years).
Health and Wellbeing Centre: Working with an outside contractor, the Buildings Department converted 4 ground-floor rooms in Lerner Court into a Health and Wellbeing Centre. The new facilities include a medical treatment room, two consulting rooms and a private waiting room.
69 Alpha Road: An external contractor is refurbishing the building as part of the College’s de-carbonisation programme: the external walls are being insulated and an air source heat pump installed. The College team will refit the shower room and kitchen. These works will provide a cosy, eco-friendly house for 4th year students.
Memorial Court Porters’ Lodge: During the year the Porters’ Lodge was re-roofed following concerns about slipping tiles.
Accessible App: The College commissioned an accessibility survey and accompanying app. This identified areas requiring improvements in accessibility, and provided an app which can be used by students and guests to understand the facilities and routes around College.
Reactive Maintenance: The team received 4,353 maintenance requests in a 12-month period. This is nearly 1.5 times more than the previous year (which included periods of lockdown), but still down on pre-pandemic levels.
Clare St Regis wins RICS Regional Awards
Clare St Regis is the College’s newest graduate residence. Building works were completed in January 2021 with the work taking place through the pandemic.
The project consisted of the demolition of three 1930s residential blocks that were inefficient in both space utilisation and energy use. The new blocks were designed to reduce embedded carbon by using recycled/local materials and to reduce carbon use on an ongoing basis.
The two student blocks provide accommodation for 85 graduate students in a mix of traditional student ensuite rooms with shared kitchen space, studio flats and one-bedroom flats. In addition, there is a communal social area. The third block contains 14 flats which are let on the open market; this provides the College with a long-term income stream.
Clare St Regis has received two RICS (Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors) Regional Awards, in the Refurbishment & Revitalisation Project category and the Residential Project category.
The judges’ comments were:
“This project has transformed a poorly performing energy inefficient 1930’s student accommodation that lacked the requirements and demands of current student life by completely renovating the site and delivering cutting edge facilities that were both efficient, safe and fit for purpose.”
“This project is an outstanding example of a high quality, visually attractive student accommodation that delivers the requirements of the current Cambridge student. This sustainable development not only provides leading accommodation for its students, but it also offers biodiversity in its design through green roofs, incorporation of swift nesting sites and other landscaping features.”
The scheme went on to the national awards presented in October 2022. While shortlisted in three categories: Environmental Impact Award; Residential Project; and Refurbishment/Revitalisation Project, the project was unfortunately pipped to the post for each award. You can read more about the awards and the winners on the RICS website: https://www.rics.org/uk/training-events/rics-awards/uk-awards/
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