Brick Award Winner – Dorothy Garrod Building

On Wednesday 13^th November, the Brick Development Association held its 43^rd Annual Brick Awards for 2019 in London.

SDC’s recently completed project at Newnham College, known as the Dorothy Garrod Building, was the winner in the Medium Housing Category and Craftmanship categories, as well as the Supreme Winner award (the Association’s most prestigious accolade).

The Dorothy Garrod Building provided Newnham College with 86 new ensuite student bedrooms, a new entrance and welcoming Porters’ Lodge, conference facilities, rooftop gym, staff offices, meeting and supervision rooms, student kitchen/social areas, and a new café. It was designed to be the new ‘face’ of the College on Sidgwick Avenue, featuring generous areas of glazing alternating with full-height brickwork panels. The façade was constructed using a handmade Northcot Sidgwick blend and natural cement lime mortar and there were nine different shaped bricks in total laid in a variety of bonds, including Stretcher, English Garden Wall, Dogstooth and Hit and Miss panels.

Given the importance of the masonry to the overall project, SDC used its highly skilled subsidiary (Caxton Brickwork) to construct the façade. Firstly, sample bays were built so the exact colour of the brick and the mortar could be signed off by the College, design team, planners and Historic England. Thereafter, a large-scale sample bay of the façade was constructed on site to test construction details, sequencing, movement joints and finishes. The knowledge and experience of their staff yielded cost savings while maintaining the design intent and quality of detail. From the outset, the team understood the importance of the intricacies of the design. The high-quality, well-crafted façade shows the team’s care and attention to detail in laying the brickwork and was undoubtedly a key factor in the project’s success at the Brickwork Awards. Indeed, as Hilary Satchwell (Head Judge), stated

The project has already received several other accolades, including RIBA East Building of the Year 2019 and the RIBA National Award 2019. Winning at the Brick Awards makes The Dorothy Garrod Building SDC’s most decorated project to date. For more information on this prestigious project and its full list of awards, visit the Student Accommodation portfolio page.