Newnham College, Cambridge

The project

Newnham College has a unique character, in part because of its amazing gardens but also because of its built heritage. The College Fellows were looking to deliver a new building that added to this legacy, helping to shape the future character and reputation of the College. They wanted a building that was confident, restorative and elegant as well as warm, friendly and collegiate.

The Dorothy Garrod building includes a new entrance to the College with a spacious and welcoming Porters’ Lodge. As well as 86 generous, en-suite student bedrooms, with associated kitchens and social areas, where students can cook and eat together, the new accommodation includes conference facilities, a rooftop gym, staff offices, meeting and supervision rooms, and a café that invites students to linger and work in the heart of the College.

Updates

The building was opened in April 2019 to much acclaim. It won the RIBA East Building of the Year in 2019, as well as an RIBA National Award in the same year. It also received a Civic Trust Award in 2020, alongside numerous awards for its extraordinary brickwork.

Winners

ARCHITECTURAL COMPETITION
The competition to find an architect was won by Walters & Cohen
The other three shortlisted practices were:
Allies and Morrison
Niall McLaughlin Architects
RH Partnership

INTERIOR DESIGN COMPETITION
The competition to find and interior designer was won by Ab Rogers Design
Two other practices were shortlisted:
Johnson Ribolla
Universal Design Studio

GRAPHIC DESIGN COMPETITION
The competition to find graphic designers was won by Kellenberger White
Pentagram Design was the runner up.

Process

Each of the three competitions was run as an invited competition, open to selected competitors who were chosen following a rigorous process of research and review. The selection process included a written expression of interest and an interview; no specific designs were requested.

In selecting the architects, Members of the College also visited eight, long-listed practices in their offices before short-listing four, that were invited to complete a tender document, respond to a philosophical design challenge and attend an interview. Following interviews, references were taken and a winner appointed.

The College ran a parallel selection process to identify structural and services engineers, and landscape architects.

The competitions for interior designers and way-finding graphic designers were undertaken once the architect had achieved planning for its proposals. The architect was involved in the selection process.

Our involvement

• Designing the right competitive processes
• Researching and identifying potential competitors to invite
• Helping the client reach its shortlist of invited competitors
• Writing the competition rules
• Planning the competition timetable and budget to meet client requirements
• Acting as point of contact for the competition
• Ensuring a clear and ethical process
• Briefing the jury panel
• Briefing competitors
• Managing the competitive process
• Arranging visits to architects' offices
• Advising on and then managing the scoring/evaluation procedures
• Arranging and facilitating interviews and presentations
• Taking references
• Creating an audit trail
• Competition administration
• Debriefing and follow up

Facts

• The client wanted to attract interest from a variety of architectural firms and, not necessarily those with a track record of working with universities.
• The client wanted to select from some of the very best established and up-and-coming practitioners.
• The client put as much emphasis on creating places for people as it did on creating a built environment.
• In the tradition of Cambridge colleges, the new building will be expected to last for hundreds of years.
• The client was especially interested in the relationship that would develop with its chosen architect and designers.
• The new building needed to be sensitive to its historic setting, and the beautiful landscape.
• The very nature of the client’s organisation meant that the selection panel included both academics and estates management.