HLM recently completed the new Whitehorn Hall student accommodation at The University of St Andrews, adjacent to the Category B Listed University Hall within the Hepburn Gardens Conservation Area.
The brief of the new annexe set out to reinforce the very specific character and feel of the existing hall. In response, the design creates a series of collegiate style quads, sympathetic to the scale and massing of Old Wing. It also picks up on the qualities and richness of the area’s Baronial and Gothic roofscape.
Named after Katharine Whitehorn, British journalist, writer and first female Rector of the University, the new hall provides a mix of 184 modern student bedrooms.
The centrally located, double height common space creates a sense of arrival with vibrant and active spaces on ground floor, and quieter focussed study areas above. Linking directly to the main vertical circulation cores, students are drawn through here, encouraging interaction and engagement, and fostering a sense of community.
Each block adopts a contemporary zinc-pitched roof with dormer windows, reflecting and adding to the varied roofscape. The palette of grey brickwork and polished concrete is sympathetic to the tone of the adjacent sandstone buildings, whilst projecting concrete bays give prominence to common living spaces which seek to animate the façades and create activity on courtyard elevations.
Commenting on the project, HLM Associate Ross Barrett said: “Recognising the internationally renowned reputation of the University, the redevelopment builds on the traditions of St Andrews, whilst providing world class accommodation with the student experience at its heart. HLM’s bespoke design and delivery processes have created a unique space, allowing the modern student to prosper.”
The Whitehorn Hall project is part of the largest single expansion of student bedrooms in St Andrews for over a decade. HLM worked closely with Campus Living Villages and the University of St Andrews to design, develop and deliver over 400 new bedrooms in total across two new buildings within two years of being appointed.