Wolfson Court, St John's College Cambridge

Following an invited design competition in 2024, MICA was appointed by St John's College, Cambridge to redevelop Wolfson Court within the West Cambridge Conservation Area.

The project will deliver more than 400 student bedrooms in a sustainable, accessible and contextually sensitive development designed to enhance student wellbeing and collegiate life. The accommodation is arranged across five buildings set within a richly landscaped campus, providing a variety of high-quality places to live, study and socialise. Student flats of six to eight bedrooms share communal kitchens, complemented by a separate building containing one-bedroom apartments, together with shared facilities including social spaces, a lodge and a laundry.

The masterplan is structured around a new pedestrian route that connects the buildings with the wider College estate, creating a coherent and welcoming community. Existing specimen trees are retained and integrated into a biodiverse landscape strategy that significantly increases planting, enhances outdoor amenity spaces and strengthens an important ecological corridor across West Cambridge.

Sustainability is fundamental to the design. The proposals combine highly energy-efficient buildings with low embodied carbon principles, prioritising the reuse of existing materials alongside thoughtful material selection to minimise environmental impact.

The architectural approach responds sensitively to the character of the Conservation Area, drawing inspiration from the surrounding historic context while creating contemporary student accommodation that sets a benchmark for sustainable collegiate living. The result is a vibrant and inclusive environment that supports student wellbeing, promotes biodiversity and delivers a lasting enhancement to the College estate.