Maths Houses - History & Heritage
The Maths Houses aren’t just a special part of Warwick Mathematics Institute’s story; they’re an important chapter in the unique history and heritage of the University of Warwick itself. Built in 1969 to provide accommodation for visiting researchers and conference delegates, the houses have since earned Grade II* listed status and won the 1970 RIBA Architecture Award.
Here, we hope to build an archive of useful and interesting information about the history of the Houses. If you have anything you’d like to contribute to this page, please .
Photos, plans & documents
Take a closer look at the Maths Houses in our photo galleries, step inside via our 360 immersive virtual tour, or browse historical documents.
Did you know?
Being Grade II* listed, which the Maths Houses are, is actually quite unusual.
A more typical listing in the UK is Grade II. However, only around 6% of listed buildings are Grade II*, and these are considered as ‘buildings of particular national importance or special interest’.
Photos courtesy of John Barr.
Why were the Maths Houses built?
When Warwick Mathematics Institute was first established, the ambition was always to be able to host annual symposia and establish Warwick as a globally significant hub of mathematical research. As part of those plans, it became clear that suitable accommodation was needed to make life easier for visiting researchers, and so the idea of the Maths Houses was born.
Using the majority of at £88,000 funding grant from Nuffield, the five three-bedroom houses and two one-bedroom flats were designed and built, completing in 1969.
A key factor in the design of the houses was to have study space with continuous blackboards away from the main part of the house so that any mathematician staying there could work undisturbed. The result was a design that combined the practical considerations of privacy and family life, together with the more symbolic expression of a welcoming community, and devised an intricate plan of great clarity which maximised the small space.
The houses are grouped together in a specific pattern, and their placing at different compass points allows continuously shifting patterns of light to fall across them.
And the blackboards aren’t just for adults; Sir Christopher Zeeman – the founder of Warwick Mathematics Institute, had a very clear brief for the architects, as he detailed in his article ‘Early History of the Warwick Mathematics Institute’.
“Put the blackboards low enough for small children to use the bottom bit.”
