The new development will help address the strong demand for nursery places and support staff and students with their personal arrangements around work and study, alongside the three high quality nurseries already operated by the University.
The nursery will be named after the former Chair of the Nursery Project Board (NPB),
Professor Chris Abell
, who sadly passed away unexpectedly in October last year. Professor Abell led the Board with tenacity and enthusiasm, and his determination, wise counsel and strategic vision were instrumental in the University successfully commencing construction of the new nursery.
Professor Eilís Ferran, Pro-Vice-Chancellor for Institutional and International Relations, said: “The expansion of our nursery services is key to supporting our staff and students with childcare responsibilities and we are delighted more people will benefit from this. Balancing work, study and family life can be challenging, and the University is committed to working to remove potential barriers and ensure we attract and retain the best students and staff from all over the world.”
SDC are the main contractors for the nursery project and are making good progress on site, with most groundwork now complete and the cross-laminated timber frame largely in position. SDC continue with work on the roof, façade and internal areas.
In line with the University’s commitment to sustainability, the building is anticipated to achieve a BREEAM status of ‘Excellent’. A BREEAM assessment evaluates a building’s design, construction and use, and covers a comprehensive range of topics from energy, water use, ecology and materials, to health and wellbeing.
Work on site is due to be completed during Michaelmas Term, and we expect to be able to begin accepting applications from parents in December 2021, ahead of the nursery opening in January 2022. This will be advertised in our current nurseries and on the University Childcare Office
website
, and all parents currently on the waiting list will receive a notification.
Professor Chris Abell: In addition to his role as Chair of the NPB, Professor Abell FRS, FMedSci was the University’s Pro-Vice-Chancellor for Research; Professor of Biological Chemistry and Todd-Hamied Fellow of Christ’s College; a pioneer in the field of fragment-based drug discovery; a successful entrepreneur; a founding director of Cambridge Enterprise; the University’s first Director of Postdoctoral Affairs; and an alumnus of St John’s College. He was named a Fellow of the Academy of Medical Sciences in 2012 and a Fellow of the Royal Society in 2016.
