Oliver Smith, architect. Retrofitting Trinity. 24 February 2023

Oliver Smith, Architect, Founding Director of 5^th Studio

Oliver Smith, Architect and Founding Director of 5th Studio has kindly agreed to join us for a zoom discussion on renovating some of Trinity’s historic buildings:

• Friday 24 Feb 2023, 7:00pm Tokyo time, start
  • Friday 24 Feb 2023, 5:00am New York
  • Friday 24 Feb 2023, 10:00am Cambridge/UK time
• 7:15pm -8:15pm Oliver Smith
• 9:15am – discussions

Retrofitting Trinity

This presentation will describe the projects of 5^th Studio to retrofit two buildings within the central Trinity College site and explore the different issues involved in the low-carbon retrofit of both historic buildings – and those of the later C20th and the balancing the concerns of character, heritage, and sustainability.

I’ll discuss why this is necessary, how it can be delivered, and the lessons that we have learned and that can be applied to other projects.

Using the completed projects for the retrofit of the Wolfson Building, but more particularly of the Grade 1 Listed buildings at New Court, I will describe the principal risks to the project– arising from the proposed fabric improvements to the building – and how these were addressed:

• Risk to character and heritage significance
• Risk to building fabric
• Risk from planning and listed buildings process

I’ll finish with a description of the project outcomes, which range from the delivery of successful projects, to the application of the developed methodology to other projects and to local and central government policy formulation – and will close by setting out some of the lessons learned and how these have allowed us to streamline the process, timescale, and costs for other projects.

5th Studio’s retrofitting of New Court, Trinity College, wins Editor’s Award of Architecture Today Awards 2022

on March 2, 2023, 5th Studio won the Editor’s award in the inaugural Architecture Today Awards – topic of the present video, details
https://www.5thstudio.co.uk/news/5th-studio-win-architecture-today-awards/
https://architecturetoday.co.uk/architecture-today-awards-winners-2022/

Oliver Smith, 5^th Studio

Oliver Smith is an architect and founding director of 5^th Studio, a 25-strong practice with studios in Cambridge, London and Oxford.  For many years Oliver combined practice with studio teaching at the University of Cambridge – focussing on attitudes to materiality and construction and particularly on research and the development of practice of sustainable construction with particular emphasis on the retrofit of existing buildings.

This research has informed the practice’s work on a range of other heritage retrofit projects, and has underpinned the strategies for estate decarbonisation that the practice are developing for a number of academic and commercial estates – combining demand reduction through retrofit of historic built fabric with supply of onsite renewable energy.

Taken together with new-build low-carbon accommodation and workplace projects that include the innovative use of MMC and renewable heat sources, this work has establishing the practice’s innovative approach to low-carbon buildings, estates, and cities and Oliver’s status as an AJ Climate Champion.

Oliver is an adviser on sustainable retrofit to the Department of Business Energy and Industrial Strategy and the Climate Change Committee. He is convener of the NHS Retrofit Advisory Panel. Oliver is a founder member of the Cambridgeshire Quality Panel, advising on the sustainable growth of the city-region – including on the University developments at Eddington and the West Cambridge Site. He is a member of The Edge, AECB and UKGBC.

https://www.5thstudio.co.uk/people

Oliver Smith, 5th Studio on the ‘eco-refurb’ of Trinity College, Cambridge

Architects Journal: Oliver Smith – Balancing heritage and climate urgency in listed buildings

https://architectsjournal.podbean.com/e/oliver-smith/

5^th Studio

5^th Studio are a unique spatial design agency, working across the fields of architecture, urban design, infrastructure and landscape. We work with our clients and commissioners to create beauty and enduring value from complex situations, for new and existing buildings, through to larger-scale urban strategies.

Our work is anchored by the experience of working and thinking across this spectrum of scales, disciplines and projects: we are skilled at thinking strategically, whilst also maintaining a meticulous attention to detail. With studios in London and Cambridge we are able to maintain a close connection to the people and environments with which we work.

5^th Studio – Trinity College projects:

https://www.5thstudio.co.uk/projects/trinity-college-cambridge

Registration and enquiries:

Prior registration required until Thursday 23 February 2023. Anonymous registrations are not accepted, please introduce yourself briefly when you register.

We will upload the recording to the Trinity in Japan Youtube Channel – by participating you agree to the upload of the recording: 

https://www.youtube.com/trinityjapan?sub_confirmation=1

All Trinity members, Fellows and students globally are very welcome to pre-register, and I will send a registration link if there are still places available.

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