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Designer Failden Clegg Architects Developer King Alfred's College Contractor Haywards Building Contractors Planning Authority Winchester City Council

An instant village for over six hundred people, on a green field site, in a highly sensitive location on the edge of Winchester, would tax the skills of any developer. The fact that the residents are students adds a further twist to the brief. The architects have responded with gusto, establishing a spectacular street as a north/south spine to the development which cries out for an open air production of West Side Story. By stacking seven person dual aspect maisonettes above each other, they have provided east or west

facing rooms, avoided communal internal access, and provided instead external stairs which can double as verandahs in the summertime. In the upper units, the shared dining kitchens sail out to meet each other across the street, providing a natural focus for social interaction. On the east side of the street, a series of two storey openings lead to lower, south facing, single aspect units, some with wheelchair access. These form quieter and more intimate courts, offering a choice of environments for residents.

The detailing is robust and inventive, but although the scheme was built to a tight budget there has been no attempt to skimp on finishes and joinery, and no truck with false economies in space, insulation and heating standards. Everywhere, the scheme speaks of a determination to maintain a consistently high quality as an investment in the future.

Both the client and the planning authority deserve great credit for steering such an exhilarating project through to completion in a relatively short time. It cannot have been an easy process, but their faith in the scheme has been fully justified, and they can expect the sincerest form of flattery in the future as others learn from their achievement.