These questions and more are explored on Saturday 15th September during a day of over 20 unmissable Open Cambridge events, including talks and walking or cycling tours at the award-winning new community, Eddington.
Part of the University of Cambridge’s North West Cambridge Development, Eddington is one of the most modern and eco-friendly places in the UK. It already has a primary school, community centre, which has been shortlisted for the RIBA Stirling Prize, supermarket and sporting facilities with more to come.
The first phase of Eddington is focussed on creating the foundations for a long-lasting and sustainable community, with some 700 homes and facilities to support new residents, neighbours and the wider Cambridge community.
Key highlights of the day, part of the Open Cambridge weekend which starts on Friday 14th September, include an exclusive behind-the-scenes tour to see how the engineering works inside Cambridge’s first energy centre and district heating network. Visitors can discover how a house receives heating without a boiler. The homes in Eddington do not have individual boilers but instead have a link to the energy centre via a district heating network that provides heating and hot water across the entire site.
Another unique feature of Eddington is the underground waste system – a novel approach to waste and recycling. The University and Greater Cambridge Shared Waste Service adopted a communal underground waste and recycling system to eliminate the need for residents to put out individual bins. This is a chance for visitors to see the system in action, the underground bunkers and bespoke lorry, and to ask recycling experts about what can be recycled and how.
A further two fascinating events cover ‘Renewable technology in construction’, which highlights some of the renewable elements in the construction of Eddington via a virtual experience building site, and ‘Ecology at Eddington’, a walking tour with the project ecologist as he highlights some of the features and infrastructure that will enhance the biodiversity of the site.
As a frontrunner in sustainable living, it’s no surprise that this topic features in a number of events, highlighting Eddington as a beacon of future living. These include ‘Guided tours of Eddington’, during which Visit Cambridge and Beyond tour guides focus on the development’s contemporary architecture and sustainability features that help residents lead more sustainable lives. Visitors can also explore Eddington for themselves, via the ‘Self-guided tour of Eddington’ information sheet, which also includes descriptions of the architectural and design features that showcase the quality of the development and the sustainability principles behind it. Included is a family treasure hunt around the site.
During the talk, ‘Sustainable apartment living’, renowned architects, Pollard Thomas Edwards, discuss the inspiration and design rationale behind the stunning apartments overlooking the cricket pitch at Storey’s Field. These homes will be delivered by award-winning housebuilder, Hill, who are currently building and selling the open market housing at Eddington.
Speaking ahead of this year’s Open Cambridge and the Open Eddington events, Heather Topel, Project Director of the North West Cambridge Development said: “We are thrilled to offer a whole day of public activities and events at Eddington that illustrate the depth and breadth of what Eddington has to offer. Over 4,000 people visited Eddington at our opening event last year and we hope many of our friends, neighbours and supporters – existing and new – will take the time to join us for this occasion.”
In addition to the Open Eddington events, Open Cambridge, which begins next weekend, features a further 60 events from walks, talks, tours and exhibitions showcasing the rich historical and cultural diversity of Cambridge; its buildings, landscape, art, history and people.
Some of the events include exclusive tours of the University of Cambridge libraries, such as the Lawmakers and ground breakers: Squire Law library tour. The Squire Law Library maintains one of the largest legal collections in the UK, which underpins the teaching and research activities of the Faculty of Law. Tour the unique library space, designed by Foster and Partners, and view a specially curated display in the Maitland Legal History Room celebrating 100 years of women in law.
In addition to the Squire Law Library tour, the Marshall Library of Economics is also hosting an open day, offering visitors the rare chance to see this library space designed by Sir Hugh Casson and hidden within the Austin Robinson Building on the Sidgwick Site. There will be tours on the hour and a chance to view some of their rare books, many of which were once owned by Alfred Marshall, the founding father of economics.
A final event not to be missed during Open Cambridge is the moving ‘Stories of the Americans in Britain during world war II’ at the Cambridge American cemetery in Coton. Some American soldiers never went home and are buried here in British soil. Visitors can walk the beautiful grounds and explore the Visitor Centre, join a flagpole introduction, or book a full tour to hear the stories of the ‘Friendly Invasion.’
For further events during Open Cambridge a copy of the full programme can be downloaded here.
Most events are free to the public.
Twitter: @OpenCambridgeUK
Open Cambridge is a busy weekend and many of the events require pre-booking in advance.
Places can be booked online at www.opencambridge.cam.ac.uk or by calling 01223 766 766.
The phone-line is open between 11am – 3pm, Monday to Friday. There are also plenty of drop-in events for people to enjoy.
Open Cambridge is part of the national Heritage Open Days scheme. Designed to offer special access to places that are normally closed to the public or charge admission, the initiative provides an annual opportunity for people to discover the local history and heritage of their community. For more information please visit: www.heritageopendays.org.uk