The Fabric of Student Life

JS+P worked alongside AHR Architects and GMI Construction to deliver this market leading student accommodation project in Leeds.  The work included all apartment types and shared living spaces throughout the 397-room building and the all-important and very complex amenity spaces at ground floor. With today’s student demand being much more than just a place to sleep; the rise of amenity spaces has become so prominent to the design, these spaces consisted of a series of activity zones inclusive of quiet study, garden room, lounge and games, gym, cinema room and reception.

As well as selecting materials based on function and aesthetics, the materials and colours need to be timeless, hard wearing, robust and easy to clean.

Sector | Student Living

Completion | 2020

Client | Curlew Capital

The Refinery takes visual cues from its rich industrial heritage; once a factory for the manufacture of machinery for the spinning of flax, hemp, jute and similar fibers. The internal graphic language, finishes and textures reference the process of weaving yarn into fabric, creating a bold visual identity for the building which is underpinned by the site’s historic significance on the edge of Leeds’s centre.

Functionality of a space is key to every project and creating a variety of settings resulted in an activated and enlivened floor plan of clearly defined micro-settings for work, play and social. Each ‘destination’ was deliberately planned to allow room for a maximum of six to eight individuals, and as a result generated domestic scaled settings with a focus on intimacy, human scale and meaningful interactions, as a large-scale development this was key to the success of a vibrant amenity at ground floor. Taking influence from the colours and patterns on the external façade through into the interior, JS+P created spaces to motivate and inspire.

Behind the Scenes