Investigation by Jess Pabon
A university and city grown together, Cambridge plays host to an architectural tradition spanning eight hundred years. Age old traditions combined with centuries of academic and sociopolitical power create a geographical bubble within which a unique architectural mythos has developed. As we near the midpoint of the 2020s, what physical characteristics make the city so special? Do the chapels, gates, and imposing neoclassical facades hold the same meaning today as hundreds of years ago? Does the power and prominence survive as new builds reflect new ideals of energy efficiency, conformity and cost-effectiveness? When I decided to write this article, I wanted to capture the sense of dystopia, surrealism and fantasy that surrounds the city of Cambridge. To do that, I leant into the idea of 'mythos.' A mythos is the Aristotelian sense of a plot point; a collection of patterns or stories that form a mythology. This seemed fitting, as everything about Cambridge presents as something straight from friction. Gowned formals, societies with secrets, traditions incomprehensible to the outside world - mythos certainly seemed a fitting term. Built around and alongside the university, the city itself holds a physical mythos within its architectural features. Beyond simply boasting an elite architectural academic program and community, structures such as the Fitzwilliam Museum, the King's College Chapel, and even the newest builds in our own Lucy Cavendish bring pride and status to the city. Something about Cambridge draws people in. For some, it's an identifiable sense of power emanating from the city, the prestige of a centuries-old, elite university. The knowledge that great leaders began their adult lives within the walls of those structures imbues them with a power typically reserved for palaces, castles, and houses of Parliament. For other viewers, it's the academia itself that provides the attraction - the sense of eight hundred years of scientific and intellectual progress being made within the very buildings they might explore. Regardless of what draws people to the city, the architecture is always present, reflecting the very pinnacle of Western progress. Perhaps that is simultaneously the strength and the weakness of the city; the image of power presented by Western intellectualism. In a recent exhibition by the Fitzwilliam Museum, for instance, the University's ties to slavery and oppression on the basis of race begin to light. Importantly, the museum itself - an architectural marvel in the neoclassical style - was founded based off a foundation from Richard Fitzwilliam in 1816. This sum was amasses and ultimately donated as a result of generational wealth accumulated via the slave trade. Further, much of the art held within was also purchased or obtained with funds gained in a similar fashion. Thus, the building itself presents a paradox; a unique example of neoclassical architecture, adorned with symbols of power and exceptionalism, and a repository of pain and suffering, of those held under the boot of that very same power. The Fitzwilliam Museum is the first site to specifically consider as engaging the Cambridge mythos, as it is incomparable to any other structure in the city. A repository for artifacts and art, the eternal facade is constructed in the style of an Ancient Greek or Roman temple. Within the pediment, statuary lounges, gazing upon greater Cambridge. The columns beneath are constructed in smooth, seamless marble, topped with capitals of leaves and scrollwork. Golden gilding is peppered throughout, adorning gates and plaster ceilings. Within the so-called 'Founders Entrance', opulence abounds - granite columns, massive staircases, marble statuary, and glittering gold stretching as far as the naked eye can see. In a similarly opulent fashion, King's College Chapel is known as a wonder of late perpendicular Gothic architecture, stunning half a millennia's worth of attendees with its fan vaulting and Tudor symbolism. The most obvious and recognisable symbol in Cambridge, its outline decorates badges, notebooks, tote bags and various other souvenirs carried by tourists and students alike. Founded by Henry VI in 1441, the King wished to reflect Christianity within his college. Planned as a court featuring the chapel, complete with a number of scholars representative of the early evangelists chosen by Jesus, the project was ambitious. Ultimately, due to a variety of historical factors, the chapel was the only portion of the envisioned court to be completed in 1515. Despite this, the chapel itself stands as a feat of architectural prowess, modelled off a cathedral by the master mason (a term predating that of "architect"), still considered a prominent example of fan vaulting, sculpture, and elements of Gothic architecture. To celebrate the 500th anniversary of the Chapel's completion in 2015, King's College Chapel: A History and Commentary was published, written by John Saltmarsh. The book provided a comprehensive history of the building, and was published posthumously. Central to both King's College and the city itself, this structure joins its fellows in the collective mythos of Cambridge architecture. In the more modern architectural sense, we see energy-efficient buildings pushed to the forefront, prioritising similarity and conformity alongside conscientious use of energy. Here at Lucy Cavendish, a new building was recently completed in 2022. The aim of this building was not only to increase the residence capacity of the college, but to create uniformity and cohesion between the red-brick buildings scattered across the site. The structure is partly three, partly four stories, providing study spaces, kitchens, and 72 en-suite rooms. Two additional priorities in the building's construction were sustainability, as well as a reflection of the college's commitment to diversity. This commitment to diversity was suggested to extend beyond simply sustainable practices, but accessibility as a whole, in intake and practice. This building contributes to the mythos of Cambridge architecture in a much different way than buildings such as the Fitzwilliam Museum, or King's College Chapel. While not an exciting or historically relevant example of architectural innovation, structural needs are very different today. Indeed, this structure's key contribution is to sustainable development and a diverse future. Although Lucy Cavendish is often less prominently featured in the wider Cambridge conversation, there is significant potential in sustainability and diversity, which the college actively works to capitalise on. As but one member of the Cambridge community, Lucy's commitment to engaging architects capable of building with both Passivhaus (a measured-target sustainability programme) certification, and with accessibility in mind, certainly contributes to a new narrative within the existing mythos. The architecture of Cambridge is one of its most alluring features, although many rarely stop to ask why. Investigating and appreciating the mythos that connects Cambridge architecture allows for a more nuanced understanding of the city we all live in, most of us temporarily. In such a stressful, academically overpowering environment, it becomes vital to acknowledge our surroundings; their aesthetic beauty, their dark histories, their technological achievements. Power is imbued in each building by generations of people passing through them, creating the very draw which brings in scholars, students, and tourists alike. Achievement is not simply remembered in records set, or 'world-leading research', but in the living, breathing, deeply human imprints on tangible heritage. For every graffiti etching, elegant column, sunken step, marked wall - someone lived, studied, and experienced the mythos that runs through the architecture of Cambridge.
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