After working with Ardmuir Ltd on several hotel and student accommodation projects over the years, we were thrilled when they asked us to design a purpose-built student development on King Street in Aberdeen.

The site had an interesting history. It was the old NHS social club, sitting empty for quite some time before Ardmuir purchased the property. Ideally located close to Aberdeen University, within walking distance of the city centre and close to transport links, its location was perfect for student accommodation.

The site itself presented a wonderful opportunity. Sitting on a prominent corner, we wanted to create something that would really make a statement and enhance the area. The planning department shared our vision for a contemporary design using quality materials that would lift the whole neighbourhood.

Our design features a distinctive corner tower that houses several flats and became the focal point of the development. This allowed us to create generous outdoor amenity space while still delivering the 21 flats Ardmuir needed. From there, the building steps down gradually towards the neighbouring properties, respecting the scale of what’s already there. We were particularly pleased to retain the beautiful mature trees along King Street. This adds character and helps the building feel like it belongs.

We chose crisp white brick cladding to give the development a clean, modern urban feel, then warmed it up with Siberian larch. The combination creates a really engaging contrast that adds texture to the façade.

Drawing on lessons learned from previous Ardmuir developments, we designed 3 and 4-bedroom flats, each with a shared living and kitchen area. This flat arrangement has proven to be significantly more popular than traditional ‘halls’ type arrangements with students.

We formed a good working relationship with the main contractor Ogilvie Construction who delivered a quality building which was rewarded by the project winning an Aberdeen Civic Society award and a design award from the Aberdeen Society of Architects.