Cowan Court

About The Client

Set on the fringes of the vibrant City of Cambridge, the Churchill College Campus is only a short distance away from the cities major attractions. It is one of 30 colleges that form the University of Cambridge which strives towards outstanding academic achievement.

Churchill College was established by the Royal Charter in 1960 and is the National and Commonwealth Memorial to Sir Winston Churchill. More than 1,000 students and staff attend the Grade II listed college that is set across a 42-acre parkland campus.

The Brief

Cowan Court, named in honour of former student and Chair of the College's Development Board Michael Cowan, forms part of the College's 50th Anniversary fundraising appeal. The new building will provide accommodation for up to 68 students during term time, as well as quarters for conference delegates.

Located adjacent to the main college and set within a conservation area, Cowan Court comprises three storeys of student bedrooms with a community room and is arranged around a square landscaped inner courtyard.

The Solution

Recycled timber cladding from a French railway cart allows the building to blend in with its rural surroundings with large windows that fit in with the original college architecture, producing views over the playing fields. The building was designed to reflect Churchill College's environmental strategy by minimising the carbon footprint of the structure throughout its lifecycle.

The new building incorporates exposed glulam beams and columns that support a CLT and plywood floor deck. Lateral strength is added to the structure, through a combination of concrete shear walls around the stairs and the lift core and cross-laminated timber stability walls.

The Cowan Court build is set to create an enhanced alternative to traditional student accommodation which is more in keeping with the City of Cambridge and the status of the University. The architect's unique vision for the structure - exposed glulam beams and a landscaped inner courtyard - created a building type not usually associated with student accommodation.

Cowan Court was reviewed by The Guardian who described the building as “timber brutalism”. It’s use of wood was well received in the press and was mentioned in the top 5 of ‘Best Architecture of 2016’ by The Observer who also reviewed the project.