Won through an extended design competition in 2024, this major planned addition to Girton College, University of Cambridge will be the most significant single building project on the College’s main site since its foundation in 1869, and to Passivhaus standards.

The New Court project will allow the College to accommodate a larger number of undergraduate and postgraduate students in the heart of the College, while improving conference and performance facilities, including an iconic auditorium. With an emphasis on sustainability, health and well-being and connections between people, buildings and landscape, our approach draws upon the College’s inclusive ethos and rich architectural heritage.

The New Court project will provide over 160 rooms for students, Fellows and guests, alongside facilities including an auditorium, multi-purpose halls and a fitness centre arranged across a series of new wings that resolve into three new landscaped courts. A strong focus on connections to nature is intended to enhance the student experience and the biodiversity of Girton’s natural surroundings, and to remain faithful to Emily Davies’ ambition of a college with “gardens and grounds and everything that is good for the body, soul and spirit.”

Girton College has been a pioneering institution ever since its foundation as Britain’s first residential institution offering university-level education for women: a bold step towards women’s full and equal participation in British political, social and economic life. Today the College is co-educational and is one of the University of Cambridge’s largest colleges.

The College’s founder, Emily Davies, sought a site with clean air, within a natural setting on the edge of Cambridge. This enduring context, alongside the College’s strong sense of community and values of excellence, inclusivity and sustainability, has informed the proposals.

The original buildings were developed over the late 19th and early 20th century by three generations of the Waterhouse family, beginning with Alfred Waterhouse, who was also architect of London’s Natural History Museum. The designs radically broke from traditional college arrangements and are characterised by a stylistic consistency and a strong sense of interconnectedness. Our proposals for New Court have been conceived as an evolution of the existing buildings, and a reinterpretation of Girton’s characteristic spatial arrangement. Rooms will be distributed to one side of generous communal corridors with free access to shared facilities – an inclusive approach that supports free movement and choice for students.