Following an invited competition, Gort Scott was commissioned by Cambridge City Council to refurbish and partially replace the existing Silver Street public toilets in Cambridge. The facilities, located largely beneath the street at river level, had previously been closed to the public due to maintenance issues and poor, congested access. 

In a city that receives very high numbers of domestic and international visitors, the loss of this facility was significant. The brief was to restore this essential public provision through an inclusive, welcoming and durable scheme that would meet contemporary standards of accessibility, operation and civic quality.

Silver Street’s name is derived from its occupation by Silversmiths from as early as the 16th century. Silver Street bridge, designed by Edward Lutyens in 1932 and built in 1958-59 after his death, is located at the prominent intersection of Silver Street, the River Cam and Mill Lane. The bridge is listed and extends towards Darwin College bounding the south-eastern edge of the site.

The primary drop-off point for coach visitors to Cambridge is on nearby Queens Road, connected to Silver Street by Queen’s Green on the Backs. The Mill Pond - an oxbow in the river - has been an important location for boating in Cambridge for hundreds of years and remains an extremely popular meeting point with students and tourists punting around the city.

The scheme was developed through close collaboration with the local authority, heritage officers, council access officer, council equality and anti-poverty officer, and wider design team. The site presented a complex set of constraints, including its historic setting, riverside location and the technical challenges of adapting subterranean spaces. 

An open and iterative design process helped balance accessibility, maintenance, heritage and operational requirements, resulting in a coordinated and buildable solution.

Although small in scale, the pavilion is carefully shaped by its context. The filigree metal fins are a link back to the silversmiths who once occupied the street and are inspired by the vertical rhythm of nearby willow trees, with the sculptural drum a reference to the timber ventilation shaft on the adjacent Darwin College Library. The lightweight metal structure sits on a concrete base that responds to the Portland stone of Silver Street Bridge.

The footprint at street level has been minimised, yet it accommodates a fully wheelchair-accessible WC with baby changing facilities. A rooflight, sitting within the cylindrical rooflight, draws natural light into the space below. To balance secure operation with accessibility, this space can be opened using either a RADAR key or contactless payment.

Below ground, the existing layout has been reconfigured and refurbished, with new guardrails, handrails, wall and floor finishes added to improve access, visibility and security. The interior finishes and fixtures have been selected to ensure they are durable and easy to maintain, given the extremely high levels of use expected.

The design is driven by inclusive values and an aspiration to support the needs of all users, from the organisation of space to signage and management systems. The completed layout provides a universal (gender neutral) toilet, separate male and female WCs, an accessible WC, baby changing, and an attendant’s room. In response to the needs of a diverse user group, the scheme also includes three cistern-based squat toilets and bilingual signage in English and Mandarin, as well as Braille.

A calm material palette, clear layout, and strong visual signs create a predictable, low-stress environment that makes subterranean public spaces easier to navigate.

At street level, a public drinking fountain and bottle refill point are integrated into the north-facing wall to support reuse and reduce single-use plastic. Bird boxes, bat boxes and bee bricks are also incorporated into the pavilion, extending the project’s public value beyond human use and contributing to biodiversity within a dense urban setting.

The building’s distinctive form and material character help announce its civic function in the street. Robust signage is incorporated into the concrete base to identify the facilities.

The soft glow of external lighting also serves as a vital design tool for public safety, warmly illuminating the pavilion and surrounding pathways to ensure the space remains welcoming and secure after dark.