Tour de Pasenville

For the last six years Ted Cullinan has run a two day workshop called the Tour de Pasenville (Pasenville being Nottingham in French) at the University of Nottingham, which involves first, fifth and sixth year architecture students.

Over two days at the end of September, the first years were helped along by the more experienced students to make models, drawings, videos (and human pyramids) to create proposals for an imaginary building situated on the university campus. Each year the brief is based around physical activities to enable to students to recreate the activities that would take place in the buildings. This year the students designed a Department for Circus Skills.

The Tour de Pasenville helps the first years to immediately bond with their fellow "debutants", promotes cross year communication and, perhaps most importantly, encourages students to work quickly and enjoy architecture.

Ben Hopkins

New Library and IT Centre, Fitzwilliam College

On Monday night, Ted Cullinan and Johnny Winter gave a talk at Fitzwilliam College in Cambridge, on the concept design of the new library. The visitors were also given a guided tour of the newly completed library.

Extending on the east wing of Denys Lasdun's 1959 College masterplan, the new building is designed to create a place for study that reflects the peaceful landscape and that respects and enhances the adjacent architecture.

The library, which reached practical completion last week is due to have its collection installed over the next few months, with the building fully open to students after Christmas.