Trinity College Dining Precinct

A welcome expansion

Trinity College’s A C C Farran Hall is a historic 1880 building that is the ‘beating heart’ of the residential college. Hayball was engaged to expand the capacity of the hall to accommodate the growing student body – a result of Hayball’s previous expansion of the student accommodation. The seating capacity of the new Hall needed to increase to 400, which led to a reimagining of the dining and food preparation areas.

Hayball’s design restored and relocated the main kitchen and amenities to the basement of the building, repurposing the ground floor into a café. The timber frame of the servery with terracotta rod shading screens is a considered and contemporary insertion into the heritage structure. The traditional stone and brick façade opens onto a revitalised courtyard, which functions as an inviting additional space for formal and informal functions and gatherings.

A new sustainable mission

Along with the sensitive expansion of space and amenities, Trinity College foregrounded an additional principle:

‘Sustainability was a cornerstone of the redeveloped Kitchens Precinct, and the finished project follows through on that initial green promise. Now gas-free, all buildings feature high-performance window glazing, reduced energy consumption lighting systems, and a high-tech building management system designed to reduce cooling energy consumption during the hottest summer days.’

Meeting the brief with their sustainable qualities, Jak Chairs and Jil Tables populate the courtyard spaces. Purpose-designed and crafted to withstand outdoor environments, they also accommodate the high-traffic and heavy use of busy education projects. With the ability to endlessly refurbish for repair or aesthetic updating purposes – the investment into these settings will benefit the school long into the future.