Handmade Bricks for Trinity College Student Accommodation in Cambridge
A £10 million student accommodation development for Trinity College, Cambridge, has been completed using a carefully selected blend of handmade bricks from Sussex Handmade Brick.
Located on Round Church Street, within the world-renowned Cambridge Union Society site, the development provides 45 bedrooms for graduate students. Construction began in 2018 and was completed in 2021, creating contemporary accommodation within a historically significant part of Cambridge.
The sensitive location played on an important role throughout the project. The site sits on part of Cambridge’s medieval defence system, known as the King’s Ditch and believed to date back to the Saxon era. Morgan Sindall Construction worked alongside a team of archaeologists during construction to ensure the site’s historic context was carefully considered.
Designed by BB&C Architects, the scheme takes architectural references from the neighbouring Victorian Cambridge Union Society building, designed by Alfred Waterhouse. Together with refurbishment proposals for the adjoining Union buildings, the development sought to replace a varied mix of Victorian, 1930s, and 1960s architecture with a more unified and sympathetic modern interpretation.
Sussex Handmade Brick’s Guestling Red, Hastings Dark Red, and Westfield bricks, were selected to help achieve this balance. The combination of natural colour variation and handmade character complements the historic surroundings while supporting the contemporary architectural approach of the new accommodation.
The project demonstrates how carefully specified handmade bricks can help new development respond sensitively to an established historic setting. Made using traditional processes, Sussex Handmade Brick products provide the natural variation, texture, and character needed to connect contemporary architecture with the surrounding built fabric.