University of Sussex
FALMER, EAST SUSSEX · STUDENT LIVING · DEVELOPMENT APPRAISAL
This development appraisal tests the potential for student living within the established Falmer campus. Courtyard planning, stepped massing and a clear façade rhythm balance accommodation capacity, shared life and privacy while responding carefully to the South Downs setting.
Site analysis, circulation and bedroom-cluster studies, physical models and construction details were developed together to compare spatial options, identify key constraints and establish a coherent basis for planning, technical and viability review.
PROJECT TYPE — Student living and campus development
STATUS — Independent development study
LOCATION — Falmer, East Sussex
ORIGIN — Selected prior-practice design work
SCOPE — Site and context appraisal, accommodation planning, massing, communal-space strategy and technical studies
OUTCOME — A development framework testing capacity, community, privacy and context
IMAGERY — Original physical models, drawings and technical studies
Site Location — The accommodation block placed within the existing Falmer campus, with the South Downs landscape beyond.
Campus Building — An existing Spence-era building studied for proportion, material and tectonic discipline.
Campus Entrance — Existing campus architecture and arrival context.
Early Design Sketches — Annotated hand studies of constraints, light and approach.
Massing Model — Two wings rotated around a central court and set against the campus context.
Axonometric — The two accommodation wings framing the central court.
Working Model — The two-wing courtyard scheme studied in card.
Long Elevation Study — The north elevation as read from the campus quadrangle: pale render, deep reveals, timber screens.
Massing Options — Alternative wing geometries and corner conditions tested in card.
Massing Variant — Composition explored against a different wing geometry and courtyard proportion.
Massing Options — White-card studies of courtyard proportion and frontage.
Model Studies — The courtyard scheme photographed across its development stages.
Wall Section — Layered section through render, insulation, structural frame and inner finish.
Floor Plan — Typical residential level: study bedrooms and shared kitchen lounge arranged around the courtyard.
Site Plan Development — Block plan registering the student-living design against existing campus buildings.
Campus Plan — The student-living design located within the illustrated Falmer campus plan.
Campus Aerial — The Falmer campus in its South Downs setting.