Ekho Studio delivers sophisticated, textural interior scheme for The Place, Nottingham.

The Place is a new PBSA scheme in Nottingham - signifying the first of its kind for developer and owner, MRP.

With 409-units, the scheme 'seeks to address the supply and demand imbalance in the city for the incoming undergraduate population'.

It was designed by Belfast-based architects, Consarc. And all interior design, from room finishes to the scheme’s stunning amenity spaces on the ground floor and 11th floor roof terrace, has been crafted by interiors consultancy, Ekho Studio.

The new-build scheme sees the redevelopment of a brownfield site on the city’s Queen’s Road, directly adjacent to the railway station, and supports Nottingham City Council’s strategy of integrating students into the city centre in secure, purpose-built accommodation.

Constructed by McAleer & Rushe and managed by Homes for Students under their luxury Prestige Student Living brand, the 11-storey BREAAM 'Excellent' property offers a mix of ensuite and under-graduate studio residences, alongside generous amenity spaces, including a gym, private dining room, and 360° rooftop terrace and sky lounge offering spectacular panoramic views over the city.

The project is also Ekho Studio’s first scheme for this client and brand, with a second scheme for the same client now underway in Glasgow.

“PBSA accommodation is a particularly vibrant market in the UK right now”, Rachel Withey, founding partner at Ekho Studio commented.

“Historically, students lived either in halls of residence or in shared houses, under the aegis of private landlords, where standards could be very unpredictable. We are delighted to be part of the maturation of this flourishing market with projects like ‘The Place’, whose imaginative design, with its seriously ‘grown up’ members club feel, offers students not only contemporary comfort and security, but also study, fitness, gaming and social spaces - with proper design credentials.”

A design challenge lay in how to keep the series of spaces and functions contained in the 100 sq m amenity space open and flowing rather than blocky or compartmentalised.

Where fire safety regulations necessitated break points, these are mostly met using glazed doors, maintaining through-views to ensure students feel invited to use all of the spaces, from the reception through to the active zone (gym and games space); study zone; lounge and kitchen zone – which includes a high bar, coffee point, lounge seating and a TV lounge - and the final series of private dining and event spaces to the rear of the plan.

The design team at Ekho Studio based their concept on three site-specific threads, helping ensure a unique style and sense of place.

The first thread was ‘heritage’, which considers the city’s history and the strong, continued presence of industrial buildings and mills. The site itself, on the junction of Queen's and London Roads, was historically famous for the production of iron, steel and lace.

The second thread was ‘process’, which examined the production of lace in particular, Nottingham’s most famous product. Lace made by machine has played an important role in the industrial life of the city since the 1760s, when net was first made on stocking frames. By the early 1900s, Nottingham was the lace capital of the world, with one third of its entire population earning their living in the trade.

The designers were particularly inspired by the journey of the threads weaving together to form the lace pattern. A draft design for each pattern would then be translated into numbers on 'punched sheets' known as Jacquard cards and used to programme the lace machine.

Finally, the designers took inspiration from ‘locality’, not only in terms of the specific area of the city where the new building is located, but references to the Queens Road itself, which was constructed in 1843 and named in preparation for a forthcoming visit to Nottingham by Queen Victoria and Prince Albert, en route to Belvoir Castle, 20 miles to the east. The castle dates to the 11th Century and is one of the UK's finest regency castles, providing the perfect inspiration for a luxury note to balance harder-edged industrial inspiration.

"Translating these three concept threads into materials, colours and forms meant referencing the city’s industrial history and pairing that with inspiration taken from the opulence of Belvoir Castle. The influence of the latter included the use of heritage shapes, colours and forms, expressed in a contemporary design language through a sophisticated, muted colour palette, along with the use of patterned fabric, soft curved details and arches, grid-like structures and classic panelling", Ellie McCrum, associate designer, Ekho Studio, explained.

"These are then paired with stainless steel detailing and metallic accents to represent the industrial aspect of the concept threads, with joinery and window manifestation perforation allusions directly referencing the ‘Jacquard cards’ of the lace industry."

To ensure a good flow of spaces, good vistas were key, with glazed elements, through-views and glimpses integrated throughout, with added high-level interest through the use of archways and panelling surrounding the ceiling rafts. The lace references were kept subtle, in the form of perforations to the joinery inserts, balanced with references to the royal visit and the castle through a regal colourway of maroon and gold.

In terms of materiality, the team did a lot of research, trying to find unusual choices that were aesthetically luxurious but didn’t 'break the bank'. ‘Edinburgh velvets’ were a perfect answer when it came to textiles, along with other interesting, patterned fabrics, all of which were sourced from Geometric Fabrics.

The laminates used in the scheme - chosen for their timber feel - have a really solid surface effect, whilst the flooring throughout features a contemporary industrial concrete look – actually concrete-effect Marmoleum.

"We also developed really clear wayfinding, together with Eagle Signs", Ellie McCrum, added, "to make sure users always know where they’re going and what else is in the space. Reasons to carry on moving forward are such a crucial part of space planning in the design of amenity areas."

In the reception and lobby, the vibe is one of a boutique hotel. The front-of-house desk, designed with a combination of hard and soft surfaces, including a desk front in fluted upholstery, with the fabric also used throughout the scheme in different colourway, is particularly eye-catching.

The area sets the tone for the scheme by introducing three different shades of timber laminate – light oak, a darker oak at a higher level and dark highlights – used throughout the ground floor.

Complementary accents of maroon exude a sense of luxury and opulence. Two arched booths are situated to the right, directly beyond reception in the extended lobby area, featuring inset banquette seating, a table, with an artwork and a pendant light to the rear wall, whilst the stand-out element is the interior treatment of the arch, lined in a rich maroon ribbed fabric treatment, reflecting the interior language created by the reception desk. The rear wall paint here is also a deep maroon, uplit beyond the timber laminate wall panel, with the maroon further referenced in the wall of postboxes to the rear of the space.

Directly opposite are the first series of perforated timber boards, referencing Jacquard lace patterning and set on pivots, so that they can be arranged at angles. There is planting at their base and soft furniture sets to either side, with Interface carpet tiles used as rug settings. The postboxes to the rear are separated by slatted timber panels and have inset banquette seating at their base.

Whilst the gym is in its own 'box', because of user privacy, there are pockets of glazing to allow for natural light ingress and to permit glimpsed views into the adjacent games space.

The games room beyond features perforated timber boards on pivots once more and there are mirror sections to the back wall, inset into full-wall shelving with planting throughout. The dominant central pool and table tennis tables are in neutral tones. The flooring is in Marmoleum, whilst the ceiling is made up of a bespoke grid with fabric inserts with the M&E services above painted out in a deep navy blue.

The extensive lounge area beyond has been designed in warm tones bringing in shades of olive-green. Artworks on the back wall were sourced for scheme by Ekho Studio in collaboration with Indigo, responding to a directive to find works that suggested the scheme’s concept threads of lace, textiles, thread and industrial processes.

A kitchen area features a high bar area with four bar seats by Pantelleria Wood with Camira fabric used for the seat pads and three black pendant lights overhead, whilst Made by Hand pendant lights sit in a cluster over the seating area opposite.

A study hub area directly beyond the Lounge area has a high, shared table and timber wall panelling. An optional curtain means that the space can be quiet and concealed, if desired.

The final element of the reverse-L-shaped ground floor amenity space is a private dining room or event space and integrated kitchen. Lighting is a key feature here, with the full height windows combining with the pendant light clusters – again, from Made by Hand - to create a gentle glow.

The scheme for the rooftop terrace and Sky Lounge mirrors the spaces below, as do the nine subtly-graded levels of bedroom with room layouts by Consarc and design by Ekho Studio.

At The Place, being a student has never looked so appealing.