Homerton College, Cambridge revealed today [13 September 2016] that 155 architects applied to be considered for the long-list in the design competition to select a team for its emblematic £7m centrepiece building to house a new 300-person dining hall.
Most of the applicants were from the UK, with a strong showing from local Cambridge practices.
Deborah Griffin OBE, Homerton College Bursar, said:
‘We appreciated this hugely-enthusiastic response and would very much like to thank the architectural community for their interest in the project.
‘We were working to a long-list of 24 — so, unfortunately, many of the applicants will be disappointed but we want them to know that we have been inspired by their passion and initiative.’
Competition organisers, Malcolm Reading Consultants announced the final long-list of 24 practices. These are (in alphabetical order):
- Adam Khan Architects
- Baynes and Mitchell Architects
- Caruso St John Architects
- Coffey Architects
- Denizen Works
- Design Engine Architects
- dRMM
- Duggan Morris Architects
- Feilden Fowles
- Feilden + Mawson
- fjmt studio
- Gianni Botsford Architects
- Hall McKnight
- Hugh Broughton Architects
- MaccreanorLavington
- Mole Architects
- Niall McLaughlin Architects
- Orms
- Richard Murphy Architects
- Roz Barr Architects
- Sarah Wigglesworth Architects
- Saunders Architecture
- vPPR Architects
- Walters & Cohen Architects
David Hamilton, Director of Projects at Malcolm Reading Consultants, said:
‘The interest in this competition has been exceptional, and we were delighted by the quality and breadth of responses to our initial call for declarations of interest. We believe this process presents a new model for invited competitions, and we will look to use it again. It has introduced us to a whole new cohort of fresh architectural talent, who we hope will continue to show interest in our future competitions.
‘The 24-strong long-list represents a balanced, diverse and intriguing cross section of architectural talent, from established to emerging firms. We look forward to equally strong Expression of Interest submissions in the next round.’
These practices have now received the Search Statement document and are preparing their responses.
Subsequently, the College and its advisers will make a selection of five to six practices from the Expressions of Interest, who will be invited to proceed to the second stage of the competition to prepare design concepts. These teams will be interviewed and a winner selected.
Homerton, which has one of the largest student communities at Cambridge, is currently undertaking a series of development projects to improve facilities for students and staff. The College has an extremely attractive wooded 25 acre campus, which includes Gothic Revival, Arts and Crafts, Modernist and contemporary buildings; it is one of the few Cambridge colleges able to house all undergraduates on-site for four years.
The focus for the competition is a new 300-person dining hall and supporting facilities, including kitchen and back-office areas. Aesthetic impact and functionality are of equal importance in the project. The new dining hall will have a direct relationship with the landscape around as well as the contiguous buildings.
Key design themes for the second stage of the competition will encompass land use and landscape, access and movement, integration of uses, infrastructure and services, and outstanding environmental performance. The appointed design team will need to collaborate with the design team working on a parallel project to renovate the existing Gothic Revival Great Hall to ensure appropriate links between it and the new dining hall.
Construction for the 1,400 sqm project is expected to begin in the second quarter of 2018.
