Decarbonising our estate and planning for the future

Darwin is a special place and was founded with an optimistic and open spirit which has been maintained by subsequent generations of students, staff and Fellows. The choice in the 1960s to adopt a collection of existing buildings, adding new ones which connected with and maximised the potential of the existing site and its connections to nature - relationships which have intensified over the life of the College - now feels very contemporary.

Darwin’s central, riverside site is a harmonious blend of buildings ranging from 19th century family homes to 21st century meeting spaces. Its later developments, including the Study Centre (1994) and Bradfield Court (2019) have won architectural awards in recognition of their sympathy with the existing context, and the disparate components form a cohesive whole around the combined gardens and waterway.

The gardens and the river, central to the Darwin site, are at the heart of our proposals to fit it for the future. These proposals aim to answer the following questions and to extend the ideas of the College in addressing contemporary challenges.

How can the existing openness, supportiveness and informality be extended and continued? How can Darwin fulfil its commitments to reducing carbon emissions? How can the existing buildings be upgraded without harming their significance? How can relationships to the garden and the river be intensified?

A planning application, currently in progress, includes two discrete but connected bodies of design work developed by 5th Studio Architects and Caruso St John Architects. The College is now actively fundraising for the projects, and the works will be phased over a number of years to minimise disruption to the College and community.

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The Pump House, as viewed from the College gardens

River Source Heat

The 5th Studio proposals include the construction of a Pump House, adjacent to the river, which will house the technology required to provide a low-carbon source heating and hot water for the majority of the Silver Street estate. A network of pipes will distribute heat to individual buildings.

While this is the first river-source heat pump at this scale planned for central Cambridge, the use of the technology is becoming more common elsewhere on sites adjacent to rivers or lakes. The College’s constrained and sensitive site meant the options of using air- or ground-source heat pumps had to be discounted. In keeping with the College’s wider commitment to sustainability, this approach reflects our desire to be at the forefront of evolving techniques, while reducing our impact on our environment.

The Pump House will accommodate the necessary equipment, including heat pumps, circulation pumps, filtration equipment, thermal stores, expansion equipment and ancillaries to form a fully operational central heating system to re-supply the main site. 5th Studio’s design promises to create a sympathetic addition to the College site, which celebrates its innovation, raises the profile of sustainable solutions, and complements the existing industrial heritage of the site and its surroundings, from Newnham Mill to the Malting House.

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Upgrading our buildings for the 21st century

A switch to sustainable energy sources is only feasible if the existing building fabric is first improved to limit heat loss as much as possible. 5th Studio will therefore oversee fabric improvements to Newnham Grange and Newnham Terrace, while Caruso St John will undertake similar measures in the Hermitage, Rayne Building and Dining Hall, to support the decarbonisation of the site. These measures principally comprise improved glazing and insulation, sensitively incorporated into the historic fabric.

Refurbishment will be carried out along side the thermal performance improvement works. For the central buildings, this will be the first comprehensive refurbishment in over 50 years. The existing kitchens, dating from the same time, have reached the end of their working life and will be replaced to both reduce energy consumption and increase capacity.

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View towards the Garden Room from the gardens

The Garden Room

Simultaneously, the College has commissioned Caruso St John to design a new social space beneath the existing Dining Hall. Lightly enclosed, to take full advantage of its views of the College grounds, the Garden Room will naturally extend the ground floor of the College, creating a seamless relationship between Newnham Grange, the Rayne Building and the Hermitage, as reflected one floor up.

The room will enable College members to meet and engage with one another in a casual, light-filled setting which enjoys the surrounding aspect of the gardens, while also closing off a space which currently opens directly onto the road, providing a sense of completion to the existing site. The aim is to extend the range and improve the quality of social spaces in the College for events, informal study, and collaboration.

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