Tigg + Coll Architects has revamped the common spaces of a student housing block in east London, to create areas where students can feel comfortable being around others.
The London-based studio has designed a completely new layout for the ground floor of Chapter Old Street, creating a range of spaces for relaxing, studying or meeting up with friends and family.
The space is designed to feel like a lounge, rather than just a reception lobby
As both the design and build stages took place in the midst of the Covid-19 pandemic, social distancing and isolation were in the minds of the architects throughout.
The space has a "broken-plan" layout, meaning that spaces are subtly divided up by partial walls and frames. This creates an open feel, but also provides natural separation between different areas. Walnut arches are used to subdivide the space
"We were intrinsically conscious of creating broken spaces that students would feel comfortable to use, no matter what the future held," said studio co-founder David Tigg.
"Be it spaces for gathering in small groups at a study desk or individuals waiting for friends to come down from their rooms, it was important to try and consider how people would feel about proximity and what we could actively do about it," he told Dezeen.
Fabric curtains and soft lighting help to make spaces feel cosy
"Our use of screens and arches were part of this interplay of breaking these spaces down, to give focus to activit...