The Richard Cairns Building

The new building, located between the listed Sir Gilbert Scott designed Main Building and the Home Ground playing fields will provide a new quadrangle between the new building and the Eric Parry designed music building (connecting with it at basement level.

In its architecture, the building attempts to bridge the monumental with the contemporary, both in form and in material. The building rises up as a white chalk cliff from the green campus space. The facade, mixing contemporary light brickwork with darker traditional flint bridges the different characters of the surrounding campus.

The competition winning design placed the theatre hall floating above above a multi-oriented foyer space, making connections to all outdoor spaces surrounding the site. Thus emphasizing the building as a pivot point for movement around the campus. The studio spaces, positioned at basement level, use their double height to capture daylight and views through large windows from the ground floor.