Photography by Natalie Glasberg
The Stirling Building project reached a key milestone on 1 September 2026, with the delivery of a newly fabricated steel frame for the reading room roof, the iconic centrepiece of the Grade II* listed building.
The challenging task of fitting each piece of this new steelwork has been carried out over the last two weeks by the main contractor SDC. Additional smaller steel trusses will be delivered over the coming weeks.
The frame was transported from a factory in Norfolk and delivered to the Sidgwick Site, where each of the four pieces of the structure were lifted carefully by two cranes, over treetops and placed on the construction site, aided by a partial closure of West Road. Despite the gigantic proportions of the steelworks, disruption on the site for pedestrians and vehicles was kept to a minimum.
The next big milestone of the project will involve the installation of the new glazing, making the building not only watertight but light-controlled. This modernisation will mean that University of Cambridge staff and students can work and study in much more comfortable conditions once the building is completed.
The project continues to progress well: there are still many phases to reach completion in 2028. Project updates and forthcoming plans can be read on the Stirling Building project webpage.