Information about this scheme

Home to 300 students, the accommodation scheme is designed to fit in with the campus’ design aesthetic. It features 8-bed clusters with communal kitchens and dining areas centred around a landscaped courtyard, providing a mix of spaces to create an environment supportive of students. Clusters provide space for smaller student groups to come together within the garden and adjacent communal spaces support larger group interactions. The accommodation includes roof-top solar panels, assisting in reducing energy demand in conjunction with high performance thermal insulation. This project emerged from the growing demand for high-quality student accommodation to support Arts University Bournemouth’s growing campus at Wallisdown. The subsequent proposals represented the next phase of development to be implemented from the university’s outline masterplan approved in 2016, following on from the successful refurbishment of a number of existing campus buildings.

The 9,200sqm project provides 297 bedrooms: 269 cluster flats sharing a communal kitchen area, 23 studio apartments with their own kitchen facilities and 5 accessible studios. The site is located on land immediately south of the existing Wallisdown campus, offering immediate proximity to the existing campus buildings, while including infrastructure upgrades that improve connectivity to the wider cycle network and future Bournemouth University Bus Hub. The project has introduced a significant amount of planting, with numerous semi-mature trees and shrubs introduced to create a woodland boundary along the perimeter of the site. This will serve to enhance the boundary of the campus and enable the new buildings to integrate into the surrounding context of Talbot Village. The new student accommodation provides high-quality on-campus living for students studying at AUB, helping to support its growing reputation as a leading creative faculty.

Judges’ Comments: 

“A well-considered, well planned, well executed campus of residential accommodation for students at the university.”