- Location:
- Coventry
- Services:
- Client:
- Cassidy Group
- Sector:
- Residential - Student
Landscape Architecture
Albany Road development is situated in the residential suburb of Earlsdon on the outskirts of Coventry City providing 465 student bed spaces. The site presented several challenges, including significant changes in level across the site, proximity to the railway line and a locally listed building.
The scheme is set around a series of linked courtyards which provide attractive landscaped areas for socialising and studying. Generous internal amenity spaces have also been designed to include social lounges, study areas, cinema, meeting rooms and laundry facilities. The scheme provides a secure and inspiring environment for the students.
A Community space for hire by the general public has been incorporated into the scheme, with a separate access off Albany Road.
The proposed development consists of a series of connected blocks which vary in height, rising up to 6-storeys towards the railway facing the larger scale developments to the north of the site, and stepping down in height towards the adjacent housing. The blocks are articulated to suggest a composition of smaller buildings.
The proposed new block fronting Albany Road is 2-storeys with accommodation within the roof space, constructed of red brick and a pitched roof but in a contemporary style. This block creates an active street frontage and respects the setting and the locally listed public house opposite.
The elevations are simple but elegant in design; clad in a red coloured brick to reflect the red brick houses of Earlsdon, with contrasting pale cream masonry and grey aluminium panels, as well as feature soldier course banding. The massing of the building is modulated by the varying roofline. The top storeys of the blocks will be clad in a contrasting standing seam metal cladding. The buildings are further articulated by the use of vertical sebacks, expressed by a change of colour and material.
Two storey windows to the entrance reception, community space and amenity spaces provide excellent levels of daylight and views into the courtyards and street frontages.
