A ceremony to celebrate work on a major expansion of Selwyn College’s accommodation facilities was held today on the construction site.

The event took place on the site of a new accommodation block for the College, which will provide 40 new en suite rooms for its students.

Guests of honour at the ceremony were Dr Chris and Mrs Ann Dobson, who provided £5 million for the project through the Ann D Foundation. They marked the occasion by pouring a section of the concrete for the ground floor slab.

Representatives from Selwyn’s Fellowship and from the organisations involved in construction were also present.

The new building is the second of a five phase project, which, in addition to student accommodation and administration facilities, will eventually add a new college library and an auditorium to the College.

Dr Jean Chothia, acting Master of Selwyn College said: "This is a particularly significant phase of the College's development. The building will provide new student rooms and a new JCR facility. It will provide a clear definition of Ann's Court and a new central focus for the College. None of this would have been possible without the generous support of Chris and Ann Dobson. We owe them an enormous debt of gratitude."

World-renowned architects Porphyrios Associates, well known for their work in traditional styles of high architecture, have designed the new buildings.

They sit comfortably with the Victorian and Edwardian architecture of the college and in pleasing contrast to the diverse, modern architecture of the University’s adjacent Sidgwick Site.

Construction company Morgan Ashurst, formerly Bluestone, the main contractor for the project, have sponsored an art competition within the College to paint the hoardings around the site.

A new administration building and 44 rooms of student accommodation were completed by Morgan Ashurst in 2006 as part of the first phase of the project. The buildings are organised around a new court for the College, named Ann’s Court, in honour of Mrs Dobson.

Dr Dobson and his wife first met on D Staircase at Selwyn, where they were both students. He subsequently returned to the College in 1998, where he completed a PhD in Materials Science. He is now an honorary fellow.

Their generous donations have provided world-class facilities for students at Selwyn and helped establish it as one of the leading conference venues in the city.

David Hurricks, Morgan Ashurst’s area director for Cambridge said: “The quality of accommodation is a key factor in a student’s university experience, and our expertise in this sector will enable us to provide attractive, modern and affordable facilities within a building that has been specifically designed to blend with the College’s Edwardian and Victorian architecture.”

“We are delighted to be working with Selwyn College again on the next phase of its development and I’m sure the students will greatly appreciate the new facilities.”

Selwyn College, which is celebrating its 125th anniversary, was founded in memory of George Augustus Selwyn, first Bishop of New Zealand and one of the leading figures of his day. Many of its alumni have become prominent in public life, including broadcaster Clive Anderson and writer Robert Harris.

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