Atlantic College

A competition entry for a sustainable residential campus, set amongst the landscape

This design proposal for four new student homes at Atlantic College in Wales was shortlisted in a RIBA international design competition.

The proposal functions at three levels: the site, the house and finally the individual bedroom. The approach to each of these reflects the practice’s definition of the project’s key organisational problem – that of arranging shared and private space.

“The scheme is well thought through in terms of energy conservation and sustainability ... The panel felt this could be a good, cost effective solution and found the scheme to be very site-responsive.”

The site is defined by a meandering pathway linking all four houses at a level grade through the sloping site. This connects the individual social entities, running through each house’s courtyard to ensure a constant connection to the school family. The path also creates a green link, forming a conduit for services and water harvesting, and creating the backbone of an environmentally integrated sustainable campus.