036 PROJECT 2
Enso, Colchester, Essex
Ekho Studio was tasked with creating a new-build amenity space for students that promoted relaxation, well-being and social interaction, while also being an environmentally low-impact design
BREAKTHROUGH TALENT FX Award winners Ekho Studio has completed a new-build scheme called Enso, at a student accommodation project with 282 rooms located in the heart of Colchester and in reach of the University of Essex campus. The brief from joint clients Moorfield, a UK real estate fund manager, and project developer Melberry was to create a bright, airy and light-filled student amenity space, promoting relaxation and well-being, and encouraging social interaction, and for it to be an environmentally low-impact design, which prioritised materials with strong recycled or recyclable credentials and low-energy manufacture and use.
For the project concept the Ekho Studio team took primary inspiration from a sense of place, focusing particularly on Colchester’s rich history. The town was known as Camulodunum during Roman times and some of the forms and elements from this period remain intact, such as Roman arches and layered brick walls, standing out as a common thread through the town’s history and architecture. Ekho Studio took these key visual and architectural elements and used them to formulate a consistent design language for the interior scheme. Simple forms, particularly the ‘arch’ motif, are used horizontally and vertically to create interest, while patterns suggest the reveal of layers in the old city.
A second thread is nature, with Colchester and the surrounding countryside full of strong textures and dramatic forms and colours. The colour palette fuses Roman-era references with local natural colours, celebrating earthy and warm tones.
‘By using these tones as ‘block’ colours,
we created a vibrant, bold colour palette, which works well with the forms but also has a softer feel,’ Ekho Studio co-founder Rachel Withey comments. ‘We emphasised the toasty burnt oranges and varying shades of pink that cloud and streak the traditional earthenware material of terracotta and complemented this with the natural greens/blues that reflect Colchester’s surrounding countryside.’ When entering the ground floor amenity space, you are immediately greeted by the
WORDS BY EMILY MARTIN
IMAGES BY GUNNER GU
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