Cambridge & County Folk Museum, Cambridge

Client – Cambridge & County Folk Museum
Date of Completion – 2005

The Folk Museum is housed in a Grade II complex of buildings whose origins date back to mediaeval times.  These museum buildings were considered to be one of its finest exhibits and were to be conserved as far as possible, retaining the atmosphere and general layout.  Services needed to be renewed, floors strengthened and, most importantly of all, disabled access provided to as many levels as possible. 
Our strategy was to infill the small triangles of space around the curator's cottage, incorporating the cottage into the resultant building form.  This new building provided the offices at first floor level and the archives and education room at ground floor level.  The old museum was conserved as intended but we revitalised the yard and moved the entrance and shop.
The new buildings, which envelop the curator’s cottage, are generally of brick on concrete piles at ground level, and steel frame at first floor level, with a run of timber windows supporting the slate roof.  They are built to the very edge of the triangular site whose geometry sets up the interesting roof lines.