LUCIA FOSTER WELCH STUDENT ACCOMMODATION, SOUTHAMPTON

The refurbishment of the Lucia Foster Welch complex in Southampton for the housing association Optivo. The works include two student residential buildings which, between them, contain 327 rooms, 6,300sqm of accommodation. Built in the 1990s, and with no major improvement works since the accommodation is looking tired and is struggling to attract prospective students. The brief we were given was to increase occupancy on the site and create a more supportive environment for the students staying there.

The answer lay in a beautiful Grade II listed Victorian Goods shed which sat on the site adjacent to the blocks of accommodation. Currently used as a car park the building was the perfect opportunity to provide a dedicated student pavilion including a courtyard with a piano and a projector, coworking and meeting spaces, games area, and a basketball/five-a-side pitch. The dramatic and distinctive setting of the goods shed and the benefit of the new facilities provide a much-needed enhancement to the welfare of the students on site.