October 15 2024

A £15m student housing development in Edinburgh dating from 2012 is the subject of a new planning application to expand and refurbish the student common area.

AMA Studio on behalf of Unite Students has revisited the Oberlanders scheme on Holyrood Road to provide more generous communal space for 300 students.

Outlining the need for change AMA wrote: "The purpose of the proposed development is to improve and expand the existing common room area, to provide high quality spaces for student socialising and studying. Unite Students has a standard target of 1m2 of common space per bedroom making a target of 300m2. The current provision of usable common space is approximately 102m2 (excluding reception, staff office, WCs and kitchenette) which is less than half of the desired area."

This will be achieved by pushing the main entrance upwards and outwards into a paved forecourt, allowing an additional floor to be inserted within the interstitial space between two bedroom blocks.

Promoting the changes AMA added: "The existing communal space and entryway fail to possess grandeur or definition. The proposal aims to enhance the communal space and bring focus to the entrance. The main entryway becomes a feature within a grand deep aluminium faced curtain wall. The dark grey aluminium compliments the natural timber appearance creating definition to the facade. The aluminium edge feature adds weight to the facade which balances the significance of the entryway."

Topped by a sedum roof the enlarged space will provide 232sq/m of common space. 

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