The new student café-bar will set the benchmark for sustainable and inclusive design
Eve Waldron Design has been appointed to design the College’s new café-bar space within its new block of co-ed student housing. The café space will provide much-needed facilities for the growing student numbers and is part of its exciting Passivhaus development; an eco-friendly, accessible and future-proof building that will house the College’s growing and diverse student community. The building and its learning spaces have been designed to facilitate integration across our increasingly diverse student body and foster an engaged, inclusive and welcoming community. The learning spaces will be attractive to a broad spectrum of different cognitive and learning styles and enable a range of informal learning opportunities, enhanced by digital technologies. In July 2021, The Wolfson Foundation awarded Lucy Cavendish College up to £200,000 towards the cost of the new accommodation and learning spaces.
Read about Lucy’s Passivhaus development here
Read more about Lucy’s new admissions policy here
The café’s interior will reflect the building and surrounding gardens, using sustainable materials, and providing an environment that is supportive of students with a broad spectrum of different cognitive and physical abilities. The design will incorporate flexible furniture solutions, allowing the space to transform according to student needs throughout the day and night.
Eve and her team were keen to demonstrate that accessible and inclusive design can be achieved in conjunction with creating a beautiful aesthetic. An inclusive space is one that provides equal access and opportunities regardless of variables such as physical ability, mental health, age, gender, and race. It is a human-centred design process that embraces diversity. Every aspect of the design was meticulously considered, ensuring the right ‘flow’ for accessible movement whilst also ensuring the correct technical design.
The Wolfson Foundation is an independent charity with a focus on research and education. Its aim is to support civil society by investing in excellent projects in science, health, heritage, humanities and the arts.
Since it was established in 1955, some £1 billion (£2 billion in real terms) has been awarded to more than 14,000 projects throughout the UK, all on the basis of expert review.
Twitter: @wolfsonfdn