Trinity college Design Competition

in 2019, Trinity College recognised an opportunity to develop a student accommodation space that would foster good community living, use ecological building methods, and share something of itself with the wider society. This competition is now closed.

In their ambition to pursue a broader vision for housing and community-building, they align with the vision of the Archbishop of Canterbury's Commission on Housing, Church and Community’s focus on 'building better communities and homes, not just houses,’ and hope to help form patterns of living for younger students going into leadership positions in church and the wider community.

To do this, Trinity College decided to work with a design partner who understood both the vision of the college and how buildings can serve that vision. They invited architects to pitch their designs as part of a competition that came to completion on December 2020. Entrants were invited to consider how the space could not only serve Trinity’s students but shape the future of theological and ministerial training for a new generation of church leaders.

THE SHORTLIST

Having received over 30 entries to the competition, the final shortlist of 5 designers was announced in June 2020:

• O’LearyGoss Architects Ltd

• Snug Architects 

• SBS Engineering Group

• Modulor Studio with WMEBoom, Alium Group, and HCUK Group

• FBM Architects

THE WINNER

In December 2020, O’Leary Goss Architects were announced as the winner of the competition. The announcement came after the five shortlisted candidates made their final presentations to the site development group in a series of virtual interviews on Monday 7th December.

Malcolm Bourne, Trinity College Site Development Lead, said “We are so thankful to all five of those shortlisted and greatly appreciate the considerable work that has gone into their proposals. It was a very closely contested process!”

The selection panel decided the winners’ design would be best suited to help create a vision for the future of Trinity College against a number of criteria and are looking forward to working with them to see the design become a reality.