Cambridge Student Services Centre

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The University of Cambridge's Student Services Centre is a really clever piece of architecture. Completed by Bennetts Associates in 2019, the whole point of the £29 million project was to take vital student support teams - like careers, counselling, and disability services - which used to be scattered all over the city, and bring them together into one welcoming hub on the historic New Museums Site.

What makes it stand out is how it balances the old with the new. Instead of knocking everything down, Bennetts Associates took three Grade II-listed historic buildings (including the old Arts School) and seamlessly wove them together with a crisp, modern brick-and-concrete extension. They even salvaged the massive, historic stone portal from the site's original Examination Halls and used it as the new main entrance, which is a great nod to the university's past.

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Step inside, and you can tell the space was designed with student wellbeing in mind. The heart of the building is a bright, sunlit central atrium that helps you find your bearings immediately. It connects the busier open-plan offices and social spaces while keeping things private and quiet for the counseling rooms. There is also a massive focus on raw, honest materials—exposed timber, concrete, and brick give the whole place a really warm, grounded feel rather than a cold, corporate one.

Beyond just the building itself, they opened up what used to be a cramped, messy warren of old extensions and replaced them with open, accessible courtyards and pathways for the public. It deservedly picked up both an RIBA East Award and a Civic Trust Award for how beautifully it respects its historic surroundings while genuinely serving the people using it.