Howlands Farm/Ustinov College
Architect: GSS Architecture
Customer: Laing O’Rourke
Client: University of Durham
The Howlands Farm development at Durham University was a substantial project for John Porter Doors requiring the manufacture and delivery of over 3400 performance doorsets over a ten month period in an accelerating programme for Laing O’Rourke.
The project was delivered on time, on budget, and produced a wonderful array of college buildings for the University at the Howlands Farm site. Following the passing of Sir Peter Ustinov, raconteur, polyglot, dramatist and writer, and Chancellor of Durham University the Graduate Society that now occupies the Howlands Farm site was renamed Ustinov College in honour of the man and his diligent service to the University from 1992 – 2004.
This is the sixteenth college at Durham, and the first new facility to be built since 1972. The work at Durham University is costing £35.5 million and also includes substantial work at a second Durham college. New student residences at Howlands Farm formed the bulk of the doorset demand which included a new accommodation complex to replace the old 1960s scheme nearer the city centre.
There are more than a dozen new buildings spread over the two sites, providing an additional one thousand rooms for students. Because of the extremely sensitive planning considerations (part of the Howlands Farm site can be seen from the top of Durham's world-famous cathedral), some of the new buildings there have been designed with gently sloping green roofs covered with slow-growing plants. This will enable them to visually blend into the surrounding countryside.
