St Catharine’s College, Cambridge, has unveiled its major refresh by London-based studio Gort Scott. The project seeks to create a series of new, social spaces set to become the heart of the campus, weaving together existing areas and giving them a facelift, while ensuring the integrity of the historic fabric of the university's estate (originally founded in 1473) remains intact.
St Catharine’s College, Cambridge by Gort Scott
The architectural reimagining of the communal areas at the college not only offer a fresh, crisp building envelope for the students and faculty; they also were crucial in improving accessibility and circulation across the whole complex. Various additions, extensions and repurposed parts over the years had left the campus with awkward spaces, in need of a strategic overhaul.
Much of Gort Scott's surgical work on the building fabric involved 'harmonising and connecting'. The affected areas span facilities such as the hall, chapel, libraries, function rooms (including the senior common room), gym, music room, kitchens and busy service areas.
Balancing layers of history and listed structures (including the Grade I-listed Main Court and the ancillary Chapel Court), the architects inserted new elements and interiors, creating a new hall with warm wood panelling and a sculptural feature chandelier, as well as a new gallery, and a rethought network of connecting spaces throughout. Gort Scott collaborated with heritage specialist Marcus Beale Architects on the period parts of the project.
'We’re thrilled that St Catharine’s College is pleased with the way the reconfigured central spaces have enhanced the life of the College – with the reimagined hall as its centrepiece. It is great to walk around and see how the completed project has also been transformative for accessibility and inclusion. Old and new parts of the college are now connected as never before through careful placement of a lift and staircase in a new, light-filled atrium and garden room,' said Jay Gort, director at Gort Scott.
-
Will TAG Heuer’s carbon hairspring revolutionise watchmaking?At Geneva Watch Days, TAG Heuer unveiled a hairspring forged not from silicon or metal alloys, but carbon. It might sound like a small switch, but in watchmaking terms, it could be seismic
-
'Scent as the centrepiece of relaxation and creativity': Houseplant and Ripple Home launch incense collectionSeth Rogen's Houseplant and British aroma specialist Ripple Home launch a collection of four elevated micro aromas
-
Here’s what to order (and admire) at Carbone LondonNew York’s favourite, and buzziest, Italian restaurant arrives in the British capital, marking the brand’s first expansion into Europe
-
In memoriam: Sir Nicholas Grimshaw, 1939-2025Pioneering British architect Sir Nicholas Grimshaw has died at the age of 85; we honour the creative who marked 20th-century architecture like few others
-
The new 2025 London Open House Festival tours to book2025 London Open House launches this weekend, running 13-21 September; here, we celebrate the newcomers in the residential realm, flagging the exciting additions to the festival's growing home tour programme
-
The wait is over – the RIBA Stirling Prize 2025 shortlist is hereThe restored home of Big Ben, creative housing for different needs, and a centre for medical innovation – the RIBA Stirling Prize 2025 shortlist has just been announced, and its six entries are as diverse as they can be
-
Slides, clouds and a box of presents: it’s the Dulwich Picture Gallery’s quirky new pavilionAt the Dulwich Picture Gallery in south London, ArtPlay Pavilion by Carmody Groarke and a rich Sculpture Garden open, fusing culture and fun for young audiences
-
Bay House brings restrained modern forms and low-energy design to the Devon coastA house with heart, McLean Quinlan’s Bay House is a sizeable seaside property that works with the landscape to mitigate impact and maximise views of the sea
-
A whopping 92% of this slick London office fit-out came from reused materialsCould PLP Architecture's new workspace provide a new model for circularity?
-
Meet the landscape studio reviving the eco-brutalist Barbican ConservatoryLondon-based Harris Bugg Studio is working on refreshing the Barbican Conservatory as part of the brutalist icon's ongoing renewal; we meet the landscape designers to find out more
-
A refreshed Victorian home in London is soft, elegant and primed for hostingSobremesa house by architects Studio McW shows off its renovation and extension, designed for entertaining
