Hunter Street

The Challenge

Hunter Street, Chester, is a new development of 77 student residential flats set over six floors, with ancillary and communal facilities, landscaping and car park. Located just within Chester’s city walls, in a redevelopment area, the site is in a prominent position next to the ring road. It is also next to a former Odeon cinema constructed in the 1930s, which has recently been renovated and extended to become the city’s thriving new arts centre, Storyhouse.

The Solution

It was important that the student accommodation reflect its surrounding environment and so cues for its design were taken from Storyhouse. The brick selected for the project was County Multi Smooth, which is a red, smooth textured, high quality facing brick that complements the modern aesthetic of the copper rainscreen cladding and through coat render used alongside. Extruded brick detailing was included to create a playful relationship with the recessed brick detailing of Storyhouse.

The Benefits

The use of County Multi Smooth served to connect the structure with the existing masonry buildings adjacent to it, helping to ground it in its environment.