Stirling Building project

Restoration of Stirling Building design render, University of Cambridge. Courtesy of BDP

Background 

The Faculty of History sits within the School of the Humanities and Social Sciences (SHSS) and is housed on the Sidgwick Site in the Stirling Building, which is considered one of the best examples of modern post-war architecture in the UK.

Completed in 1968, the Grade II* listed building was designed by the pre-eminent British architect James Stirling - the annual RIBA Stirling Prize for Architecture is named in his honour. It is one of three Red Trilogy buildings along with the Engineering Building at the University of Leicester and the Florey Building at Queen’s College, Oxford.

It is also home to the Seeley Library, one of the seven libraries serving SHSS, managed centrally as part of Cambridge University Libraries (CUL). The Seeley Library offers 340 study spaces and a collection of c120,000 physical items across five subject areas (History, Sociology, Land Economy, Latin American Studies, and Politics and International Studies). The library offers a wide range of training and support to students and staff of all disciplines, and welcomes over 1,100 visitors per day at peak times of year. It is a popular study space across subjects, welcoming students from throughout the Sidgwick Site, as well as local Colleges.

While the building is an architectural icon and inseparable from the identity of the History Faculty, the building now requires significant renovation in order to provide an environment where our staff and students can thrive.

The project – an inclusive, flexible space for a thriving collaborative community 

Aligned with the University’s wider ‘Reshaping our Estate’ programme, the School of the Humanities and Social Sciences and Cambridge University Libraries are embarking on a project to repair and enhance this seminal 20th-century building.

Our goal is to create a flexible space at the centre of the Sidgwick Site, to respond to the University’s ever-changing requirements. The project will create a sustainable academic community that breathes life into the building for the next 100 years.

As part of wider University plans for the development of the Sidgwick Site, our goal is for this project to deliver a space that supports the wider arts, humanities and social sciences community at the University by:

  • Transforming the environmental performance of the Stirling Building through the use of innovative technology and materials that significantly reduce energy use and solar gain, to create a building that is inclusive, accessible, enjoyable and comfortable to use.
  • Following a conservation-led approach which seeks to repair and restore the distinctive style and features of the building; to reinstate and reuse materials, such as the original glazing, in the building restoration; and where necessary to recontextualise and breathe new life into the Grade II* listed building.
  • Reimagining Stirling’s vision for a building wrapped around books with the act of reading – and intellectual interaction – at its heart.

Tim Harper, Head of the School of Humanities and Social Sciences, said, “The project is true to James Stirling’s vision in that it looks to the future. It will enable all those who use the building to work together in new and exciting ways.”

What’s next? 

All staff and students have now moved out of the Stirling building and enabling works have started on site. 

The Seeley Library, and its collections, moved out of the Stirling building in December 2024 into a dedicated and newly designed space within the University Library where it will remain until work on the Stirling Building is complete. 

Find out more 

Philanthropy has shaped Cambridge’s success throughout its history and will be critical in delivering the vision for the Stirling revitalisation, particularly with escalating refurbishment costs placing increasing pressure on the University’s resources. Find out how you can help and why your support matters.

The latest updates on the project, including changes to access and wayfinding on the Sidgwick Site, the Project Charter and temporary office and teaching space for History staff and students can be found on the Estates webpage for the Stirling Project.

If you have any questions about the project, or would like to learn about opportunities to support the project as it progresses, please contact Stirling.Project@admin.cam.ac.uk