Accordia, Cambridge

My classmates and I took a delightful visit to a very interesting residential district in the north-western side of Cambridge. Even though it took us just over one and a half hours to get there, the 45 minutes spent walking around the place gave a visual diverse aspect to our trip.

Accordia extends over 9.5 hectares, and was built in three phrases, with a number of architects in the design team (2003-2011). In its complexity, the development comprises a figure of 30 % affordable housing, and a total figure of 378 dwellings.

It is a fairly new project, and the way the architects have thought about the design implications is different to what you normally expect to see in an English city like Cambridge. For me, it was a pleasant experience, and I could have imagined myself living in some of the houses around there.

There are a few strange aspects about the site, such as the fact that amongst these pretty buildings there is a Cold War nuclear bunker. Because it is a listed building, they could not touch it, or demolish it. Also, there are a number of locked gates that surrounding the open areas between the houses, but they are low enough for one to step over them if he so wishes.

On the other hand, the innovative spirit in the site cannot be denied. The storage ideas aligned along the site prove the creativity and the strategy of space making, in most cases. The services around the site are barely noticeable, well-hidden and incorporated. Parking spaces are provided all across the development area, and interact ingeniously with the site. Also, the number of mature trees that grew on this land had to be built around, not taken down. Therefore, there are trees surrounding almost all the homes on the site.

The first phase of the development became the first housing development to win the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) Stirling Prize in 2008. It is definitely a site that I would like to return to.

After our trip, we decided to head toward the city to have lunch, and then we ventured up one of the towers of Great St Mary’s church. The views were good, but way too hard to get to. The stairs in this kind of old churches are very narrow and steep. All of us felt like we had a good leg day at gym.

Unfortunately, it soon started to rain, so did not see much more of Cambridge this time, but I am sure there will be another opportunity to do so, soon.