Since the Second World War there has been extensive redevelopment of the area but without a coherent design strategy. It is characterised by buildings of dramatically contrasting scales with a High Street that lacks active frontages or features conducive to a pleasant environment for pedestrians. However it is well located for commuting and close to Stratford transport interchange.
Within the building the student accommodation provides a choice of different room types, mostly ensuite, arranged in flats sharing a kitchen/ dining room, along with ‘studio’ rooms. There is a central core, to enable the outer wall to be composed totally of inhabited accommodation.
To encourage their use, the communal areas are all located in very visible locations serving to animate the building. The advantage of spectacular views over London adds to a very attractive living environment.
The building also provides artists’ studios, for SPACE Studios, on the first and second floors of the building. There is a choice of six studios, all with plenty of natural light.
Design evolution
An early decision was that this building should not be a slab block lost in the array of similar buildings along the High Street, but a design making a signif- icant contribution to the improvement of the townscape.
Various configurations were considered but with the understanding that recti- linear-shaped towers can appear dumpy depending on viewpoint it was felt a triangular form offered an elegant profile from all angles. The shape reduces overlooking and overshadowing issues with surrounding land and structures.
Stratford Aspire Point
It also offered advantages in the internal planning as it neatly forms three flats of seven student rooms on each floor. While the external form is triangular on plan, the internal planning of the rooms is orthogonal. This has been acknowledged externally in the way that the corners are formed, as an assembly of smaller rectangular towers.
The site-filling plinth supports the tower which is orientated with one side parallel to Stratford High Street to sit comfortably in the line of tall buildings. The 60 degree angle of the structure on the corner of Stratford High Street and Carpenters Road offers dynamic contrast with the succession of square cornered buildings.
The entrance loggia is set back from the road to create space for pedestrians and a generous townscape event at the centre of this stretch of tall buildings The building is composed to appear as a collection of smaller towers helping to make it look slimmer and taller. It also animates the silhouette and dissipates the form as it merges with the sky.
The composition of the fenestration transforms from a finer ‘grain’ at the lower floors to much larger scaled modules at the top. The design is a ‘woven’ pattern; vertical strips of masonry appear to weave in and out between the windows.
This works well when viewed from close distance where the scale of the lower floors is similar to some shorter neighbouring buildings and ‘fore- shorten-
ing’, caused by the perspective effect, will visually compress the upper floors. From a greater distance the larger scale of the upper storeys gives the building gravitas and legibility.
The primary materials in the elevations are terracotta tiles with a lustrous ‘engobe’ finish and precast concrete. This gives it a strong, durable, un- fussy appearance.
Project
New build on brownfield site including artists studios and community cafe
Location
Stratford High Street, East London
Architects
MJP Architects
Completed
2018 for Queen Mary`s University, London
Stratford Aspire Point
Scheme Manager
Derwent Facilities Management
My degree was in Environmental Hazards and Disaster Management, which sounds a bit scary but it’s actually not. Predominantly my course was about risk assessment, health and safety and that kind of thing, so it actually ties in quite nicely with facilities management. I’ve also grown up in and around the hospitality industry, coming from a family who have pubs and restaurants. This job is the perfect blend. We basically want everyone to feel at home, so it feels more like a proper grown up concierge type place, especially – like here at Aspire – with proper grown up post grad students. We want to give them the best service and, if we can, make sure everything happens safely, quickly and within reason.
Everyone works really well together actually; the University, us at Derwent, Alumno and their team, architects, contractors – the lot! We all come from different standpoints but everyone wants the best and won’t settle for anything less.
It’s great to see so many people using the common rooms. The study room is such a nice place, the students are using it just like a library and we get a lot of positive feedback. It’s a good focused environment that they all feel comfortable in, which is brilliant. The space has a humanity, it’s quiet but doesn’t feel cold and clinical. You’ll find students sitting in the study room then going down one floor, to the equally excellent mezzanine, to have a cup of tea or some lunch before going back to study again. It really works, having study space and the lounge space so close but slightly separate. The university is heavily involved and also organise events that help the students spread across the building and interact with each other. The building is designed with three flats on each floor and the students also see each other in the lift lobby and naturally strike up conversations.
We’ve got such a range of characters among the students. Predominantly they are nice and so keen to find out about things. This part of Stratford has already changed so much since the Olympics, which is great for East Lon- don as a whole. The transport links here are excellent. It’s actually amazingly well connected. You’ve got the super fast trains into Kings Cross, all the over- ground and underground trains and even Intercity
With us being so close to the Olympic stadium there are a lot of local sports facilities. You kind of become like an information centre. Space Studios and Brompton bikes share the building, which will encourage the general public to be in and around it, though there is a separate and properly secure entrance for the accommodation. We had a meeting with Brompton about how we get the public to interact with the building and negotiated an introductory offer for students. Because we’ve got the cycle super highway it’s so easily accessible.
We recently had a call from the University after they did an official focus group and there was really good feedback about the building. In fact they had no complaints at all. Aspire is already in such high demand that there are longer and longer waiting lists of students wanting to get in. This is mainly fuelled by students who live here posting about how much they like it and that it’s such good value.
Key to this is that we are official university halls, belonging to Queen Mary University of London. Alumno and the University have been working together with the council to ensure that Aspire provides affordable rents in the Bor- ough. I must say, I am genuinely proud to work here. It has its challenges, but it’s also very rewarding
MSc Financial Computing Student
Queen Mary University, London
I’m from Hebei, not too far from Beijing. This is my first time living abroad. I did my first degree in Finance in the south of China. I wanted to come to the UK for the experience and to study something that really interested me. I really like pure mathematics and science, and using that to develop programming. I want to find a good career using my abilities and interests, so decided to link this to the financial sector. My parents are also quite keen on this approach.
I like the accommodation very much. The common rooms are great. We can meet, eat and drink. The whole look and feel of the place gives a very positive message about culture. It make me feel relaxed about being here and meeting people.
I have become increasingly interested in food and cooking. This has really developed here. I like experimenting with food and cooking from all around the world. Good Chinese food back home is really good, but it’s not that easy to find other kinds of food in my home town. I’ve actually become so enthusiastic about it I post my cooking on Instagram. I travel around the world in my cooking.
You can learn a lot about culture from food. I can easily follow recipes using ingredients I find locally. All this has actually made me quite popular with my flatmates. They call me the “king of cooking”. It’s really nice to cook for people. Share food with them and you inevitably end up sharing stories.
Stratford Aspire Point
Queen Many University, London
I am from the Xinjiang region, way out in North Western China, bordering Pakistan and Russia among other countries. Our culture is really quite different from other parts of China, partly because we are so geographically far away and also because the cultures of the countries we are close to have historically affected our own. Almost half the population are Uyghur, of Turkic descent. I’m not Uyghur myself, but can speak the language. There are actually about fifty languages and dialects spoken in Xinjiang, though the official language is Mandarin.
I did a BSc in Logistics Management in the city of Chongqing. This was a very different atmosphere, my first culture shock and a four hour flight from my home town. I would only go home twice a year, so I got used to being away. My home town is actually lovely and quite rural, set in an area of outstanding natural beauty, with huge mountain ranges where the air is so fresh.
Like many students from abroad, I wanted to come to the UK to experience a different culture and have easy access for visiting other European countries. In China 90% of the people are Chinese, with my region actually being unusual in having more of an ethnic mix than usual. My experience over here has been very positive and I feel welcomed wherever I go. Even though London is a very big city, it seems friendly. I’m interested in fashion and like to experiment with clothes. London is a great place to be inspired and develop your own style, from casual street fashion to dressing up for a night out.
The Masters I am doing here specialises in data analysis, where we primarily utilise programming and maths. We learn how to use pure data to analyse and evidence. I personally find this more interesting than logistics.
I feel so fortunate to have got in to Aspire House. It quickly became very sought after when the word spread among chat groups about how great it is, so there is a lot of competition for places.
It’s really well connected and such a lovely place. There are quite a lot of Chinese students, but also enough from other cultures. The most important thing is that the pricing is comparatively very cheap compared with other university halls or private landlords – so great quality at a good price! It looks really cool but is very inviting. It feels special, much much better than my pre-
vious accommodation. I was excited that my portrait has been used as part of the photographic artwork in the building, representing the cultural mix in and around this area. I suppose I am indeed part of that now.
Stratford Aspire Point
Commercial and Corporate Law StudentQueen Mary University
I graduated from Law School in Istanbul then did my internship to become an advocate. There are several reasons why I came to the UK. Firstly, being in the UK was an obvious step in improving my English conversation and debating skills. I want to get my English legal terminology to the standard where I can work in international law firms, so the better my general command of the language is, the easier that will be. Another reason is that this is a multicultural country and I enjoy making friends from different backgrounds. Before coming here I didn’t really have much actual communication with people from other countries. Even through being at Aspire House, I already have a Chinese friend, a French friend and an Iranian friend. I can see at first hand the differences between cultures and also all the things we have in common. It’s also a great personal pleasure. I hope this makes me wiser and more broad minded, so I can interpret the work better.
I also specifically chose this course as it’s an internationally highly respected qualification and allows me to understand a different legal system that enhances my legal knowledge.
I really like Aspire Point. It is very modern and really well designed. It seems to be far superior to any other accommodation I’ve seen and also far better value. Also, after some research, I was recommended to be in accommodation with people from the same university, where you can compare notes and use the common rooms as an extension of the study facilities. I also know the winter in the UK gets dark very early in the evening and can be cold and damp. If you’re not around people you get along with that can be depressing, so good common areas become even more important for mixing. They feel really good here when it’s dark outside. I think the whole space makes your mood better and more energetic. The design, lighting, artwork and furniture all work in sympathy. The furniture itself is very comfortable, particularly on the mezzanine level. The staff are really good as well, helpful and genuinely friendly. Even the security are so nice. I know everyone feels safe and looked after.
I love the cinema room on the top floor. It’s a wonderful collective experience to watch a film together, experiencing the space together. Again all the
design and artwork works really well and the panoramic view over the city makes you feel like you’re on top of the world. Even our flat has great views. There definitely can be something exciting and inspiring about living high up in a great city.
Stratford Aspire Point
Stratford Aspire Point
