Birmingham, United Kingdom

ADP Architecture and O’Donnell + Tuomey and landscape architects LDA Design have won the international design competition to design a new flagship student center building and University Square area at The University of York in England.

ADP Architecture will serve as Lead Consultant Architect, while O’Donnell + Tuomey will act as Architectural Design Lead Partner in the project.

Covering a total of 500-square-metre area, the design is conceived as an iconic building, located within a striking natural landscape, set to deliver an inspiring, engaging, and welcoming environment. 

The primary conception of the building is to have a tapered and sculptural form that will become a new landmark at The University of York and the surrounding area.

The designers have created triangular façade elements shaped to reveal a distinctive “beehive” character. 

Aiming to propose a light-filled beacon of student activity and student life, the building will consist of roof gardens, winter gardens, lively social spaces, and an active ground level connecting it to the campus.

The building’s sculpted form is characterized according to its role as the hub of student life, while taking its place in the context of other York campus landmarks, including the Library, the Central Hall, and the lake.

“We are honored to have been appointed by the University of York in collaboration with O’Donnell + Tuomey and LDA Design, to deliver the exciting new student center and adjacent public realm,” said ADP Higher Education Director Jon Roylance.

“The new center and surrounding landscape will be a welcoming and supportive place for students, staff, and visitors, reflecting the University’s values, and celebrating its unique character,” added Roylance. 

Inside, students will be welcomed with the dynamic design that is connected to its surrounding, with open views, and stairs and walkways passing freely through light-filled voids. 

Drawn on a singular structure, the layout features a flexible plan with interconnecting multifunctional spaces, a south-facing winter garden, and a walled orchard garden on the roof.

“We are delighted to have been selected alongside ADP Architecture and LDA Design to design this special project for the University of York,” said O’Donnell + Tuomey Founding Director John Tuomey.

“The brief asked for a welcoming front door for the University, a new space at the heart of the action, a new Student Centre at the crossroads of connection between city and campus.” 

“The architectural form, employing modern methods of construction and principles of environmental responsibility, responds to the material characteristics of the place,” Tuomey added.

The project also includes integrated landscaped grounds, designed to create a sense of discovery between the built and the natural.

To ensure the very best student experience, the design reflects principles around sustainability, inclusion, internationalism, and collaboration, linking with city communities and students, past, present, and future.

Project: Student Center For The University Of York
Lead Consultant Architect: ADP Architecture 
Architectural Design Lead Partner: O’Donnell + Tuomey 
Landscape Architects: LDA Design
Quantity Surveyor: CPC
MEP, Sustainability, Acoustics: Max Fordham
Structural and Civil and Façade Engineering: AKT II
Fire Engineering: OFR
Client: The University Of York
Drawings: East Elevation, Infinite 3D