Derby Road Student Accommodation

Project Aim

In 2017 we won a design competition run by Nottingham City Council for a mixed use scheme in a derelict three storey building on Derby Road, within the Canning Circus Conservation Area. The aim of the project was to create high quality dual-fronted student accommodation with a commercial premises on the ground floor.  Our proposal was praised for its carefully considered but modern response to the brief.

The Scheme

Our design created 45 x 1-bedroom studios, 2 x 2 bedrooms, and 2 x 3 bedroom apartments. All of the studios have individual bathrooms and kitchenettes so that everyone has access to their own private amenities, but there are also communal sitting areas at each level. With outside space at a premium within the city centre, we added a roof terrace to provide usable external space as well as providing light wells which flood the deep plan with natural light. The use of the ground floor accommodation for retail space makes the best use of this city centre location and also contributes towards an active frontage along Derby Road.

Respecting the Streetscene 

A contemporary, yet sensitive design approach was taken to respect the aesthetic of the surrounding, historically significant buildings. The new building form followed the characteristic gable ends of the surrounding buildings, incorporating a saw-tooth roofline, and using characteristic Nottingham red brick. We incorporated large, glazed panels to the front and rear elevations which are purposefully asymmetric, whilst both the window proportions and the reveal depths are taken from the adjacent listed building.

Maximising Space

To maximise the usable space within the site, a fifth floor was needed. It was vital that the existing streetscape, of which a good proportion is Grade 2 listed, was not compromised so the fifth floor was set-back to remain largely hidden from view. Despite incorporating an extra storey into the massing compared to adjacent properties, using full height windows and a reduced size fourth floor window height allowed both the aesthetic and practical needs of the building to be met.