Case study: WongAvery Music Gallery by Níall McLaughlin Architects

The WongAvery Music Gallery is a practice and performance space for Trinity Hall, Cambridge. The new building sits in the centre of Avery Court. The aim of this project was to provide a much-needed dedicated space for music practice and performance, but also to rejuvenate Avery Court, relandscaping it around the new building.

Avery Court was chosen as the site due to its proximity to the college chapel. However, it presented a number of challenges. The court is surrounded by Grade I and II-listed buildings, including the chapels of Trinity Hall and Clare College, and is therefore a highly sensitive historic setting. Light to existing window openings had to be maintained and study bedrooms protected from noise. Finally, the construction site was accessible only via a narrow pedestrian passageway, severely limiting access for materials and construction plant.

The architectural solution was to build a free-standing pavilion which would form the centrepiece for the relandscaped court. It is a tiny but monumental object, the singularity of which plays against the accretive complexity of the surroundings. The new building is highly visible from all sides and required both a highly integrated approach to building services and the highest standards of construction quality.Tim Allen-Booth, project associate, Níall McLaughlin Architects

Start on site February 2019Completion May 2021Gross internal floor area 73m²Architect Níall Mclaughlin ArchitectsClient Trinity Hall, CambridgeStructural engineer Smith and WallworkM&E consultant Max FordhamQuantity surveyor GleedsPrincipal designer Níall McLaughlin ArchitectsApproved building inspector RH Building ConsultantMain contractor Barnes ConstructionAcoustic engineer Gilleron Scott Acoustic DesignLandscape architect Kim WilkieStone consultant Harrison GoldmanPlanning consultant TurnberryHealth and safety adviser Bureau VeritasStonemason Brown and RalphGlazing WellingtonRoofing GRMAluminium flashings PlasufixSteelwork BD WilletBrass interior fittings Classic BarfittingM&E installations EyresGroundwork and hard landscaping Bowie ConstructionCAD software used VectorworksAnnual CO2 emissions 2.5 kgCO2/m²yrPredicted design life 60+ yearsEmbodied/whole-life carbon 1,278 kgCO2/m²

The materiality and environmental design of the WongAvery Music Gallery were driven by stringent acoustic insulation and absorption requirements and the need for close control of the internal temperature and humidity due to the high sensitivity of instruments, in particular the harpsichord. The sustainability strategy for this building aimed to minimise the operational energy and to minimise embodied carbon in construction and maintenance.

Operational energy is reduced through a well-insulated and airtight building envelope coupled with zero-carbon heating and ventilation. The siting of the building in the court limits direct sunlight on glazing, thus reducing overheating and demand for cooling. Exposed thermal mass in the walls, floor and ceiling helps stabilise the internal temperature by absorbing and releasing heat energy.

The building is made inside and outside of stone, both as loadbearing structure and visible finish. Stone has a lower embodied energy content than other similar materials. For this project we only used stone from the UK, helping reduce the energy required to bring material to site. The expectation is that this building will have a lifespan of well over 100 years.

The use of durable, uncoated materials that require little maintenance helps minimise the embodied energy involved in maintaining the building throughout its life.Tim Allen-Booth, project associate, Níall McLaughlin Architects

Portland stone claddingAlbion StonePortland Base Bed, honed; Portland Grove Whitbed, honedFacing brickwork to ground and mezzanine floors. Cladding infill panels internally and externallyalbionstone.com

Purbeck stone flooringHaysomPurbeck Spangle, honedInternal flooringpurbeckstone.co.uk

GraniteDe Lank QuarryCornish silver-grey granite, dolly-pointedPlinth to external walldelankquarry.co.uk

Yorkstone pavingJohsons WellfieldCrossland Hill Classic Buff Hard YorkstoneExternal pavingjohnsons-wellfield.co.uk

Slate pavingBurlington stoneCumbrian black slate, flamedExternal pavingburlingtonstone.co.uk

Precast concreteCambridge Architectural PrecastArchitectural precast concrete to match Portland stoneExternal wall capping sectionscap-ltd.co.uk

Window and door framesSeccoOS2 75 thermally broken patinated brassWindows and external doorsseccosistemi.com

Aluminium copingsAlumascSkyline coping system, PPC finishFlat roof parapetsalumascwms.co.uk

Roof coveringsBauderBauder Total Roof SystemFlat roofsbauder.co.uk

Loose furnitureLuke Hughes and CoLH-42 chair in oak with leather seatInternallylukehughes.co.uk

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TagsCambridge Music venue Níall McLaughlin Architects