STUDENT LIVING / WOODLAND

Mount Oswald, Durham

A woodland-inspired landscape for student living, connecting active spaces, quiet courtyards and shared places beneath a canopy of trees.

Mount Oswald oblique sketch showing the relationship between buildings, courtyards and shared landscape.

01 / THE PROJECT

At Mount Oswald, Hyem developed a landscape strategy for proposed student accommodation on a former golf course. Working with steep topography and existing trees, the design brings together spaces for activity and quieter reflection, drawing on the woodland character of Durham.

Pioneer

The history of Money Slack Lane prompted an exploration of a landscape where diverse people, particularly women, could feel confident learning and being active outdoors. The place name’s associations with wet, wooded ground helped shape a woodland-led approach.

Pioneer

Root

Existing copses and the wider wooded campus ground the design in its setting. Wooded uplands inform meadow slopes, glades shape the courtyards, and Durham’s wooded gorges inspire active routes linking the public spaces.

Root

Adapt

Connected paths, exercise points and quieter gardens offer different ways to spend time outdoors. Woodland-bathing principles encourage exploration and restoration, supporting student life within an ecologically diverse landscape.

Adapt

02 / DESIGN EXPLORATION

Annotated Mount Oswald landscape strategy plan.

Retained woodland, connected routes and a sequence of green courtyards shape the landscape for student living.

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