Eddington Housing Development in Cambridge

Eddington Housing Development, University Key Worker Homes England, Architect News, Homes Photos

Eddington Housing Development in Cambridge, UK

30 Apr 2020

Eddington Housing Development

Architects: Mecanoo

Location: Cambridge, south east England, UK

Eddington Housing Development Cambridge England

University Key Worker Housing, University of Cambridge, UK

Eddington Housing Development Cambridge England

The Northwest Cambridge Development (NWCD) transforms a 150-hectare site of University of Cambridge farmland into a community with residential buildings, academic facilities, public amenities and open green space.

Eddington Housing Development Cambridge England

Mecanoo worked alongside NWCD to deliver Eddington Development – 232 affordable housing units for researchers and key university employees.

Eddington Housing Development Cambridge England

New layer
Cambridge is a city contextualised through the layering of architectural inventions over the centuries. This has resulted in a unique composition of urban space, architecture and landscape.

Eddington Housing Development Cambridge England

Mecanoo’s design adds a new layer to this, building upon the rich traditions and collegiate character of Cambridge.

Eddington Housing Development Cambridge England

Public – private
To create a strong sense of community the relation between the public and private realm has been carefully reconsidered. The characteristic Cambridge variation of enclosed and open spaces, alternating between formal and informal groupings of buildings, is a departure point for the design that activates the courtyards and creates different connections between the dwellings and the communal area.

Eddington Housing Development Cambridge England

Courtyards
The two internal courtyards with lawn, flower fields, raised decks, planters, fruit trees and urban furniture are sheltered by galleries forming covered outside community spaces. Apartments are grouped around spacious central halls flooded with daylight, all leading to the courtyards.

Eddington Housing Development Cambridge England

Communal identity
The central building is the visual and communal focal point of the development and acts as a spine to the site. Covered exterior space in the heart of the development forms a modern interpretation of the Cambridge colonnades and arcades. Locating the community facilities along the public route through the block facilitates the development of a communal identity, whilst reaffirming that sense of being part of a much larger academic collective.

Eddington Housing Development Cambridge England

Sustainability
The design complies with Code For sustainable Homes Level 5. This was achieved by creating compact, efficient volumes with high performance Fabric Energy Efficiency, good internal daylight performance, bespoke assisted natural ventilation for night-time cooling, large array of PV cells on the roofs, district heating, a site wide rainwater attenuation strategy including a grey water system and collective gardens that increase the biodiversity.

Eddington Housing Development Cambridge England

Eddington Housing Development, Cambridge – Building Information

Architects: Mecanoo
Programme: 232 dwellings for researchers and key university employees (19,500 sqm), parking (3,120 sqm) and public realm (5,126 sqm)
Design: 2012-2014
Realisation: 2014-2018
Client: Northwest Cambridge Development, University of Cambridge, UK
Project management: Aecom, London, UK
Structural, Mechanical and Electrical engineer: URS, London, UK
Acoustic, Building physics and Fire safety consultant: URS, London, UK
Cost consultant: Gardiner & Theobald, London, UK

Eddington Housing Development Cambridge England

Photography: Greg Holmes and Mecanoo

Eddington Housing Development in Cambridge, England images / information received 300420 from Mecanoo

Location: Cambridge, UK

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Buildings in Eddington, Northwest Cambridge
photo © Jack Hobhouse
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