Student Castle Student Accommodation

Student Castle Oxford is a high quality student accommodation for 515 rooms with a mixture of cluster flats, studio, double studio and 2 bedroom studios with associated support and shared space. The landmark project is located on a prominent site in close proximity to Oxford’s city centre railway station, will be the first project to be realised as part of the wider urban regeneration Oxpens redevelopment that will transform this part of the inner city. Working closely with Oxford City Council and Student Castle, fjc proposed a sensitive mixed-use solution within a constrained site that will set a quality benchmark for the wider urban area. fjc pro-actively engaged with Council throughout adopting an exemplar design process that involved regular collaborative workshops and meetings to refine and test design concepts and assist in finalising the masterplan for the area. An articulated building, drawing inspiration from Oxford’s and Oxpens’ character and rich history, creates a finely-grained urban response, that facilitated timely authority approvals for this significant and sensitive site, whilst maximising the commercial feasibility for the client.

The Student Castle Oxford site lies within the Oxpens Regeneration area on land formerly used as railway sidings on the southwest edge of the historic City Centre in an area known as the ‘West End’ to the west of the central business area of Oxford. Whilst the site sits within the masterplan, with the majority of the public spaces outside the Student Castle Oxford site boundary, the design has taken into consideration the boundary treatments to ensure the site connects well with the wider masterplan particularly the boundary facing Becket Street, which will be a main hub of activity and key to the creation of a successful new street. In consultation with OXWED and Oxfordshire County Council, the Student Castle Oxford project has set down some key principles and markers of quality of space for the public realm. The design provides a sustainable outcome and sense of community through the provision of an array of shared and communal facilities and landscaped terraces that responds to the needs and care of the contemporary student, ensuring they get the most out of their university experience. Delivered via an overlapped D&B process, the project was completed in 2020 within strict budget parameters.

Read more in Insights: Student Castle Oxford awarded Honorable Mention — Chicago Athenaeum Museum of Architecture and Design 2022 Awards.