Striking building which will be used for student flats to be built in centre of city
A striking building which will be used for student accommodation is to be built in the centre of Preston.
David Cox Architects has designed the student accommodation block which will provide 425 self-contained studios over six storeys.
The high-quality development, named The Urban Hub, is situated on Moor Lane at the corner of Ashmoor Street and includes a gym, prayer room, library, roof terraces and retail units.
Designed on behalf of developers the scheme was applauded for its architectural merit by the Council during the planning process.
With students arriving from all over the UK and around the world to study in Preston the building was designed to reflect something of the local cultural heritage and the beauty to be found in the landscape of the north of England.
Preston student building at night
David Cox, from David Cox Architects said: “The design for the outside spaces references a project undertaken by a group of post-graduate UCLan students, led by Prestonian and Professor in Graphic Design Ben Casey.
“He explored the idea that local history can inform the design of the public realm and proposed a ‘walking museum’ through Preston city centre with exhibits displaying its cultural 2connections.
“The colourful palette for the internal courtyard elevations was inspired by David Hockney’s vision of the English landscape and in particular his work ‘Woldgate Woods’.”
This is one of a number of student accommodation schemes designed by David Cox Architects across the North and Midlands, others include The Tramshed and Canterbury Hall in Preston, also The Foundry II and Stoke Irish Club in Loughborough and Stoke.
