Lambert Hall, The Lawns

Lambert Hall, The Lawns

A university hall of residence built between 1963 and 1967 to designs by Isi Metzstein and Andrew MacMillan of the architectural practice Gillespie, Kidd and Coia, who were appointed by the University of Hull in 1961.

The hall is constructed of loadbearing brick walls in buff and grey handmade sandstock bricks, with ground floors and roofs of timber and intermediate floors of concrete.

Lambert Hall forms one of six halls of residence that together comprise the planned layout of The Lawns. The building is arranged as a self-contained quadrangle of three-storey study bedrooms plus a basement, with a lower range behind housing wardens and tutorial staff. The plan is roughly triangular with broken and staggered sides. Staggered cross-walls form a series of parallelograms defining the study bedrooms, which are split into five self-contained staircase units. Each room has its own angled balcony, concealed from its neighbour by the stepped plan. Lambert Hall abuts Nicholson Hall and Morgan Hall, while Reckitt and Grant Halls abut each other, the two linear groups forming longer zig-zag walls of study bedrooms. Downs Hall stands freestanding between the two groups.

The outer, flat-roofed, brick elevation is three storeys and a basement facing west over the central grassland. Five obliquely angled blocks of five stepped bays project out in a rough triangle, with the foremost central block and a recessed first block partially abutting Nicholson Hall. Each study bedroom has an orthogonally set window and balcony, concealed from its neighbour by the stepped plan. The balconies feature thick brick balustrades with narrow gaps below. Rows of bricks set vertically or on edge mark floor and roof slabs and the edges of the balustrades. Rooms have timber-framed sliding windows to access the balconies. Each block incorporates an orthogonal staircase bay with full-width fixed and top-hinged timber-framed windows and copper fascias. The staircase bays are positioned differently in the various blocks, giving a varying rhythm to the facades. On the right-hand side of the central block is a shallow, angled flight of brick steps down to an underpass through to the quadrangle. The brick return walls have three or four rows of horizontal windows mostly to the inner end, some with an offset deeper window beneath lighting kitchens and bathrooms. The central block also has a timber-framed sliding glazed doorway to the right return.

The inner elevation has three-storey, five-bay stepped blocks of study bedrooms with balustrades. The central three blocks face east into the quadrangle while the two outer blocks overlook grass and trees. Three external flights of brick steps with steel ribbon balustrades lead up to over-sized timber and glazed doorways into staircase halls. A shallow, angled flight of brick steps leads down to the underpass, where there are oversized doors into the two other staircase halls. Paths alongside the blocks are edged with low, zig-zag brick walls.

The quadrangle is closed by the lower east range with similar brickwork detailing and a number of horizontal timber fascias to the flat roofs. Abutting the inner corners of the outermost three-storey blocks are single-storey, stepped blocks of two bays with sliding windows opening into the quadrangle and doors to the side elevations. The north block has a brick storage area on the outer, east side and a canopy over the quadrangle entrance attaches it to another single-storey, single-bay block that projects eastwards, incorporating a garage and store, with a two-storey, flat-roofed warden's house attached to this and the south block. The south block has a stepped front elevation facing into the quadrangle, with a glazed porch and landing window above, both with timber fascias, and a taller block on the right with two horizontal slit windows on the first floor and a small rectangular window on the ground floor. The rear, east elevation is stepped with windows on both floors overlooking the private garden enclosed by a zig-zag brick wall.

Internally, each of the five study bedroom blocks is arranged around a staircase either placed parallel to, or at right angles to stepped rooms on wide landings. Half-level parlours off the parallel stairs have been bricked off and converted to en-suite bathrooms, and those off right-angle stairs have been converted to bedrooms. Rooms in some blocks have been provided with en-suite bathrooms while other blocks have shared bathrooms off the landings. On each floor, larger kitchens have been inserted either into former double study bedrooms or extended single rooms.

The circulation areas have exposed brick walls with concrete floor plates and plywood panelling, wood-veneered doors and timber architraves on the landings. The ground-floor stair entrances have tiled floors and the ceilings on the ground floor and top floor have timber boarding. The staircases have balustrades of three horizontal timber rails fixed to slender square black steel posts and steel brackets. The upper and middle rails are swept with individual, straight bottom rails. The study bedrooms have plastered walls.

The warden's house has exposed brick walls to the stairwell, first-floor landing and the double-height dining area at the foot of the stairs, which is separated from the living room by a feature brick wall with a hatch in the opposing wall into the kitchen. The rooms are otherwise plastered, with wood-veneer doors and timber architraves. The porch has a tiled floor, also possibly elsewhere beneath carpet, and the living room, dining room and landing have timber-boarded ceilings. The closed-string staircase has plywood panelling beneath the balustrade of slender, vertical timber posts attached to a horizontal rail and alternating between a number of full-height posts and lower posts forming apertures. A similar balustrade on the first-floor landing overlooks the dining area. Most fixtures and fittings have been replaced. The attached blocks have some tiled floors, wood-veneered doors and timber architraves, with most fixtures and fittings replaced.

The courtyard contains low walls bounding paths, external steps to the staircase blocks and steps to the underpass. Steps to the underpass also exist on the west side of the building. Not all of these features are shown on MasterMap, so the entire courtyard and the location of the west steps are included in the mapping.