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, there are growing useability and safety issues that increasingly hamper the building’s ability to provide an environment where our academics and students can thrive, and significant renovation is required.
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:
- Providing clear circulation and inclusive access for all throughout all areas of the building;
- increasing space and capacity for the Seeley Library to accommodate its cross-disciplinary readers;
- creating a diversity of flexible learning environments;
- increasing seminar and shared space capacity.
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?
The project is still in the early stages of the development process – with construction due to start from 2025, subject to approvals.
In December 2023 an Outline Business Case was approved by the University’s Estates Committee and Planning and Resource Committee. The project has now moved to RIBA Stage 3, which will include the development of decant options and the preparation for, but not submission of, the Planning Application, Listed Building Consent, and associated surveys.
Over the coming months, the Project Team will be consulting with faculties, departments, and teams across the University to ensure we can deliver our goals for the building while minimising disruption to staff and students. If the refurbishment is approved, the building will need to be vacated and alternative temporary space for the Faculty and Seeley Library will be established while the works are in progress.
Options for this decant space are currently being discussed and will ensure that the Faculty continues to have a central physical hub for students, access to excellent teaching facilities on the Sidgwick Site and in contiguous Colleges, and that all users will continue to have access to the Seeley Library collection and study spaces.
Access to the Seeley Library collection
To prepare for the proposed refurbishment and to minimise disruption to users, the Seeley Library collection is scheduled to move to the main University Library on West Road (CB3 9DR) during the summer vacation of 2024. This will ensure access to the collection during term-time is not disrupted.
Decant of the History Faculty
Decant of the History Faculty is likely to take place in Easter of 2025, but these arrangements are under discussion and no firm plans have been agreed. Updates on the arrangements and timescales will be provided as soon as possible.
Find out more
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