We step inside Allies and Morrison’s addition to Girton College, Cambridge

Ash Court is a new residential wing at Girton College, University of Cambridge which provides 50 student en-suite bedrooms, a state-of-the-art gym and an indoor swimming pool. The new facilities also form a hub for conference guests outside of term time.

It was critical that this addition to the historic university could stand the test of time. Architects Allies and Morrison focused on longevity and robustness with a design life of at least 100 years.

Designed as a natural extension of the existing college and continuing its valued brick cloister, the new building takes a linear form and is flanked by a stone colonnade which addresses a new landscaped courtyard.

The college had set very ambitious environmental targets and the design drew on the pioneering PassivHaus approach which yields extremely low levels of energy consumption.  The building has been decorated with numerous awards, including a Green Apple Gold Award, LABC Best Education Building and RIBA East Special Award for Sustainability.

Read more: https://www.alliesandmorrison.com/project/ash-court