William Gates Building, Cambridge

The William Gates Building is a computer science facility at the University of Cambridge containing lecture halls, research spaces, and teaching labs. Its central corridor called The Street connects all main areas and serves as the organizational spine of the structure.

The building opened in 2001 thanks to a major donation from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation that covered half of construction costs. This investment enabled the University to establish a dedicated and advanced home for its renowned computer science department.

A glass wall in the shared spaces displays the original EDSAC Initial Orders, linking students today with early computing history. This creates a tangible connection between the current workspace and the pioneering work of earlier computer scientists.

The building is located in West Cambridge on JJ Thomson Avenue and features motion-activated lighting and advanced climate control systems for comfort. Allow time to explore the different floors and wings, as it is a large facility with multiple work areas.

The central corridor features floor tiles arranged in binary UTF-8 patterns that spell out Computer Laboratory 2001. This hidden detail weaves computing language directly into the physical design and goes unnoticed by most visitors walking through.