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Left: Subtle south-façade differences of
Holman and Campbell Halls. Bespoke, folded
glazing and signature interior colours assist
in the connection and individuality of these
adjacent projects.
Repeated glazing elements are a fundamental characteristic
of student residences; they are collections of little
dwellings and glass is the connection of each dwelling
to the world and it’s very important to get that right.”
These projects cater for some 1,000 new students-inresidence and are centrally sited – alongside sports fields
and established leafy avenues for instance – rather than
marginalised to the edge of campus or worse, off campus
altogether. The whole project mounts a brilliant case for
architecture allowed to perform at its budgetary best rather
than value-managed and finally discounted into oblivion.
Glass rather than pre-cast, provides crucial legibility
and amenity for all buildings in addition to highlighting
circulation zones from staircases through to shared social
spaces and studio apartments.
Each project reveals a convincing sustainability position –
starting with the easily forgotten, yet crucial, saved daily
student commute. Various energy saving strategies include
the absence of air-conditioning, thermal stacking, passive
ventilation and window/wall shading in combination with
performance glazing.
The use by each practice of Viridian performance
glass expresses and translates designs that comply
with the university’s preference for locally sourced and
manufactured materials to more authentically demonstrate
origin as key within the sustainability chain.
Jackson Clements Burrows’ five storey ‘Turner Hall’ offers
elegance and exuberance with technicolour window
fenestration. A cranked plan to its slender, linear form helps
eliminate deep, daylight deprived floor-plates. Generous
glazing throughout goes well beyond symbolism or gesture
to ensure multiple apertures for a response not merely to
light, but views to playing fields to the south and north
towards a blend of verdant new and old landscape.
McBride Charles Ryan’s (MCR) Logan Hall is an eight-storey
precast structure that wraps with the suns orientation on