Located on the doorstep of the University of Essex this 134 bed student village is made up of 7 and 9 bed town houses arranged around a landscaped green. The scheme combines the benefits of purpose-built student accommodation with the ‘family’ feel of a student house, and offers friendship groups an alternative to the traditional HMO offering. Each house contains ensuite student bedrooms and a generous communal kitchen and living room on the ground floor. A separate block includes 15 individual studio flats and additional student amenities such as student lounge, study spaces, laundry and reception.

The scheme required sensitive massing to reflect the neighbouring low rise residential area including a prominent listed building opposite the site as well as open views across the landscape towards the University. Significant flood risk also needed to be mitigated with the whole site raised 1.5m, to combat extreme 1 in 1000 year tidal events. The palatte of materials was chosen to express a contemporary take on the local vernacular including the black cladding from local buildings.

Photos: Peter Langford, Osborne