We carry out feasibility studies for purpose built student accommodation as well as a full start to finish RIBA stages 0-7 services. Our services cover PBSA: Purpose Built Student Accommodation, HMO: House in Multiple Occupation (Smaller scale student housing, MMC: Modern Methods of Construction (Off-site manufacturing).
We aim to create communities where students thrive. We design next-generation student accommodation focusing on wellbeing, social spaces, and sustainability. Universities and high-end providers compete on student experience, therefore it is essential we design living learning communities with lots of amenity spaces, whilst still optimising bed-space layouts to maximizing NLA (Net Lettable Area).
We’re straight-talking, approachable people who will listen first and guide you on your design and build journey.
Explore some of our amazing bespoke architectural designs.
Commercial
Cameron Bosque Brookes were appointed at the pre-planning stage to develop a scheme for this sustainable, car-free development of 30 luxury apartments in Northeast London.
It features the use of solar panels, green walls and roofs, and an eco-friendly internal courtyard complete with a garden, cultivated to attract a mix of wildlife.
Commercial
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The biggest issue with 2d plans and 3d images is that our clients struggle to understand the designs concept and when you are paying thousands of pounds on a building project this is not good enough. We use virtual reality as part of the design process to show you options and allow you to walk around the proposals as if you would in real life. You get a sense of how the completed building will feel and the sense of space.
We are expert student accommodation architects and we have worked on both decarbonization and refurbishment projects as well as new build purpose built student accommodation. Our clients are developers, investors, and universities. We focus yield maximising ROI, durability, bed density, and student wellbeing when designing.
Find answers to common questions about our architectural services and how we can assist you.
The Core Issue: Yield vs. Planning Permission. Developers prefer studios (higher rent per square meter), but planners and universities increasingly dislike them because they can lead to student isolation and mental health issues. There has been a hybrid shift: Planners in large cities are increasingly demanding a "wellbeing-led" mix and co-living schemes. We typically see a move toward 60:40 or 70:30 splits (Cluster vs. Studio). Also the townhouse model is in revival which can see 10-12 students sharing a multi-floor house within a block to satisfy planners who want to avoid "long corridor syndrome."
The Core Issue: Avoiding "dead space" that looks good in brochures but isn't used. Ten years ago, it was about cinema rooms and gyms. Today, those spaces often sit empty. Students crave "private" study space outside their bedroom. The trend is moving away from large open-plan common rooms to "Zoom Booths" and semi-private study nooks. The "Bleed" Zone: Architects design ground floors where the public café/study space "bleeds" into the student secure line. This allows the building to feel active and safe (passive surveillance) rather than a fortress, which helps with planning approval.
This question stems from considering that student accommodation for PSBA can be as short as a 38-week tenancy. Investors want to maximise and have a 52-week revenue. They ask if the building can function as a hotel or AirBnB-style let in the summer. Dual-purpose planning is a zoning challenge more than a design one, but the architecture must support it. The "Lock-off" Strategy where we design "Cluster Flats" where the kitchen can be locked off, turning the en-suite bedrooms into standard hotel-style rooms for conference guests or summer school students can work. This requires specific access control systems and fire strategies to be designed in from Day 1. It is important when you engage a student accommodation architect like Cameron Bosque Brookes Architects that this is decision at the early stages and incorporated into your initial design brief.
This is the new UK safety regime for buildings over 18m (approx. 6-7 storeys). This is the #1 technical question right now. You can no longer start building until the Regulator signs off the entire technical design. Cameron Bosque Brookes Architects emphasize the need for detailed RIBA Stage 4 designs rather than what has been common in the past progressing to site under "Design & Build" contracts where with loose RIBA Stage 3 information. Our advice to clients is to factor in an extra 12 weeks before breaking ground for the Building Safety Regulator to approve the Gateway 2 application. If you are assessing a site for student accommodation, the first thing to check is not the bed count, but the height. Sometimes we recommend on building less than 18 meters high for a faster delivery, less regulatory risk. If you are over 18 meters you will achieve a higher density, but subject to severe delays under the new Building Safety act.
The core issue is viability. Many councils (like London's GLA) require ~35% of rooms to be "affordable" (linked to maintenance loans), but construction costs are too high to support this. The "Standardized" Room to make the math work, Cameron Bosque Brookes Architects use Modular Construction (MMC). They design rooms to strictly standard dimensions (e.g., exactly 12.5 sqm or 13.5 sqm) that fit onto factory production lines.
