The project has won awards at a huge range of national and local competitions. The awards have been given by a number of renowned organisations, including the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA), Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS), the Civic Trust, the British Council for Offices (BCO), the Brick Awards 2016, and the Cambridge Forum for the Construction Industry Awards (CFCI).
The owners, Jesus College, Cambridge wanted to create an attractive, sustainable building with an exceptionally low carbon footprint. The University of Cambridge college commissioned Bidwells to manage the project and to act as the agent, and Gort Scott as the architect and to provide advice on interiors. The contractor was Ashe Construction and the services engineer, Max Fordham.
The site is located in a conservation area with listed buildings on three sides. The awards are in recognition of the uniqueness of the building and the way it has been built to respect the surrounding heritage. Robust, high quality materials were used throughout and the building has achieved 'BREEAM' Excellent for its sustainability credentials.
The building provides 780m2 of serviced, flexible, open-plan office space that follows the British Council for Offices’ design standards. It has exceptional natural lighting throughout which makes it a more pleasant environment to work in, and this in turn minimises the running and maintenance costs.
Daniel Carter, Project Manager at Bidwells said: "Everyone involved in the concept and construction of 51 Hills Road is delighted that this unique commercial building has been recognised in winning so many prestigious awards.
"When Jesus College developed the brief, it was clear that it wanted an exemplary sustainable building which met the highest environmental standards and was in keeping with its historical surroundings.
"A huge amount of effort went into doing everything possible to make this a sustainable building, which you don't always expect from a commercial office building. We’ve avoided using energy hungry air conditioning units, and instead adopted the principles of natural ventilation, via the ‘stack effect’, utilising the impressive brick chimneys, which also formed an important part of the architectural philosophy for the building. This project highlights that you can achieve so much with a building, no matter what its use, if you have the right team behind it."
Christopher Pratt, Estates Bursar of Jesus College said: “Jesus College is delighted with the attractive new building at 51 Hills Road. With a BREEAM Excellent rating, it is believed to be the greenest office building in Cambridge. Without compromising return on capital, we have built for the future, selecting a design to minimise the long term running costs of the building within brickwork of the very highest quality, maximising natural light and ventilation. We know that TuckerGardner (part of the Countrywide group) is enjoying its most attractive new office.”
Jay Gort from Gort Scott Architects added: “'We are delighted to have received such recognition for 51 Hills Road. It is great that the care and dedication in the design and then build of this building of a modest scale and budget has paid off. It is rewarding to reflect on the contribution the building gives to the high street, the integration of sustainability technologies and that the current tenants say it is a great place to work.”
The building has currently been let to TuckerGardner.
Image: 51 Hills Road (credit David Grandorge)
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