Project overview

This scheme, designed by RH Partnership Architects, provides 72 eco-friendly and modern en-suite bedrooms for students studying at Lucy Cavendish College.

Project value
£20,000,000
Project value
Rating
Passivhaus design
Rating
eco-friendly and modern en-suite bedrooms
72
eco-friendly and modern en-suite bedrooms
RIBA Stage
2
RIBA Stage
Heritage Consultants
Bidwells
Heritage Consultants
5 national construction awards
5 Awards
5 national construction awards

What is most exciting about this scheme for SDC, however, is the Passivhaus design.

This scheme is the largest Passivhaus student residential building in Cambridge. To meet the required standards, the project targets high levels of insulation and low energy demand in-use. High comfort levels were also achieved through lots of daylight and natural ventilation.

The building itself utilises a Cross Laminated Timber (CLT) frame with low embodied carbon cement replacements in the concrete elements.

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Professor Dame Madeleine Atkins, President Lucy Cavendish College University of Cambridge

“We are delighted with our new building. At Lucy Cavendish College we are passionate about tackling the pressing issues of the twenty-first century. Our new building has been designed to facilitate integration across our increasingly diverse student body and foster an engaged, inclusive and welcoming community. It was important to us to create a future-proof building that is low energy and low carbon and can also be easily expanded in response to our growth.”

The exterior is a combination of clay tile and timber with lime mortar brickwork to help reduce the embodied carbon of the materials in the façade.

The design eliminates the use of fossil fuels by utilising Air Source Heat Pump technology to provide space heating and hot water. Water consumption is reduced through the specification of highly water-efficient sanitaryware and appliances, and a landscape integrated drainage strategy which helps to reduce and control water run-off whilst providing irrigation to the gardens.

Project team

Adam Knaggs

Adam Knaggs

Managing Director

Adam joined SDC in 1995 as a Site Engineer. His position as Managing Director involves contributing to the day-to-day running of the business, setting the strategy for projects, and supporting all departments. Adam’s active approach to problem solving has been a defining trait of his career, as recognised by the Institution of Civil Engineers who honoured him with their Site Engineer of the Year Award 1999, in which he was praised for designing his own shuttering system.

Andrew Shiner

Andrew Shiner

Director

Andy joined SDC as a Site Agent and rose through the ranks to Project Director, before taking on his current role as Board Director in 2020. The experience he gained in all three professions will undoubtedly assist him in leading this scheme. On a previous project for NIAB in Cambridge, Andy’s team were responsible for SDC’s highest Considerate Constructors’ score to date (90 out of 100) and a Runner’s Up Prize at the CCS National Awards in 2019.

Andrew Mitchell

Andrew Mitchell

Director

Andrew is a senior member of staff who holds the role of Director/Company Secretary. He joined SDC in 1994, and had therefore been with the company for almost thirty years. He plays a key role in ensuring that board procedures are both followed and regularly reviewed. The Chairman and Board Directors will look to the Company Secretary for guidance as to what their responsibilities are under the rules and regulations to which they are subject, and on how these responsibilities should be discharged.

Francis Shiner

Francis Shiner

Chairman

Since joining the company in 1983, Francis has assumed various roles, from Chief Surveyor to managing Director, ultimately assuming the position of Chairman in 2021.

Dan Changer

Dan Changer

Director

Dan studied Architecture at the University of Cambridge and worked as a chartered Architect before joining SDC in 2010. Joining as a Design Coordinator, Dan then opted to work as a Contracts Manager, receiving a promotion to Project Manager before his appointment to the Board of Directors in 2020. His duties and responsibilities include setting the overall strategy for the project, as well as leading the project team and ensuring the scheme is delivered within the client’s time, quality and budget constraints. Dan’s client-focused attitude and collaborative problem-solving approach will be crucial to the scheme’s successful delivery.