Following extensive pre-application design collaboration with Durham Council, we are pleased to share that our proposal for an 89-bed student residential and retail store at Mount Oswald in Durham has been submitted for planning.

We have worked with the client from inception through RIBA Stages 0-3, to deliver a proposal which responds to the Mount Oswald masterplan and is sensitive to its surrounding context, considering key site constraints such as root protection zones, the curve of the adjacent highway and the incline across the site.

Centrally located, pedestrian links have been prioritised to enable low carbon travel to the site. To the south, a connection has been created to link to an existing woodland recreational path, and to the North, a new living pergola walkway runs adjacent to the curved site boundary, offering a dedicated and enriching pedestrian link from the retail unit to the wider development area.

The material palette reflects the site character and the surrounding context, comprising of locally sourced buff and anthracite bricks, paired with anthracite zinc cladding, offering a modern twist on traditional brick & blockwork construction.

Our design approach has seen us collaborate with a range of consultants throughout the design process to deliver a fully coordinated structural, environmental and drainage response, which we now look forward to building upon as we move into RIBA Stage 4.