Holyrood South Post Graduate Accommodation

This competition winning scheme to accommodate 250 post graduate students arranges 45 flats around a central, sociable, split level courtyard.

Study bedrooms all face out onto the street, characterised by triangular bay windows which are inhabited and personalised by the students.

The most prominent urban corner was chosen for the main entrance and a common room is placed beside it to act as a social meeting place as well as giving an active frontage to Holyrood Road, the principal street. A secondary entrance is located at the opposite corner, defining an upper and lower court.

A driving motivation of the design was to avoid internal corridors so the flat plans are largely single sided with internal circulation day-lit from within the court. External circulation is via two suspended spiral staircases and broad, open balconies to encourage student interaction. Living rooms face both onto urban corners and into the courtyard so that familiarity with the other students is strengthened by witnessing their everyday comings and goings.

The roof level is finished with terraces for all the students to congregate on.