Ruff Architects has completed Guildford Plaza, an 11,000m2 development, comprising 301 co-living homes arranged over four buildings. Of these, 67 homes are at 80 per cent of market rent with wheelchair-adaptable units included.

The housing is set on a sloping 0.37ha brownfield site in Guildford, Surrey. It had been vacant for over 20 years and was previously the subject of designs and planning work for the site by both Morris+Company and Coffey Architects.

Following the liquidation of the original contractor in 2023, Henry Construction, Ruff Architects successfully made a non-material amendment (NMA) planning submission with revised designs.

The buildings sit around a multi-level central courtyard, and offer a mix of private and cluster studios ranging from 19 to 41m2, with extensive shared amenities.

Amenities include a gym, yoga studio, co-working space, gaming and cinema rooms, communal kitchens, garden room, podcast-recording studio and cycle storage.

The site slopes down 6.5m and sits in a conservation area. In response to this, the buildings have varied massing and articulated elevations of a material palette of brick, clay tiles and green accent details, referencing the site’s industrial past as home to the Castle and Cannon breweries and Guildford Glass Factory.

A publicly accessible courtyard features biodiversity-rich planting inspired by the nearby River Wey. The courtyard links to internal spaces via large glazed openings.

Green energy systems include air-source heat pumps, and the scheme has achieved a BREEAM Excellent rating.

The homes, operated by Habito Co-Living, are aimed at young professionals working for local employers, such as McLaren, Bentley, Royal Surrey and Nuffield hospitals and the University Science Park.

In 2018, Duggan Morris Architects won approval for a 100-home scheme for the site for retirement housing developer PegasusLife. The practice rebranded as Morris+Company later that year.

The practice had originally proposed building 105 extra care apartments on the former Burymead House site in Portsmouth Road. But the plans were deferred after receiving more than 50 objections, mainly concerning the scale of the development, its height and its impact on the nearby Grade II*-listed St Nicholas Church and the Wycliffe Building.

In 2022, Guildford Council approved Coffey Architects’ plans for more than 300 co-living homes for Tiger Developments. The client then hired Ruff Architects to amend the plans and take the scheme through to completion.

Architect’s view

Our design-led approach, through the non-material amendment, detailed design and site delivery, is a great opportunity to continue our successful construction focus on well-crafted and nationally leading residential schemes. Our process respects early-stage strategy and architectural decisions. These unpin the authenticity of the final building and the depth of quality that can be delivered.

We focus a lot on relationship development, with collaboration providing the best results for all involved, from client and contractor to end user. We look at the design essence and ensure this is safeguarded and recognised through design development, inevitable amendment and the complex delivery stages.

This project has seen us working on a challenging site, with significant constraints imposed following the previous contractor’s insolvency. The fast-paced programme has driven further innovative solutions, using our knowledge of procurement and long lead coordination items to fulfil the client’s timeframe for delivery.

We topped out in a record six months for such a complex construction scheme and now have a really high-quality collection of new co-living buildings for Guildford and this very prominent town centre site.
Paul Ruff, director, Ruff Architects

 

Client’s view

Guildford Plaza marks an exciting new chapter for us as we expand into the co-living market with our Habito Co-Living brand. We’ve drawn on our extensive experience in student living to create a luxury-living, community-driven environment, designed for those who want flexibility, convenience, and connection. We’re proud to bring this innovative development to Guildford, which is already attracting strong interest from prospective residents across a wide range of life stages.
John Nesbitt, managing director, Habito Co-Living/Tiger Developments

 

Project data

Start on site August 2023
Completion date August 2025
Gross internal floor area 11,003m2 (Block A: 3940m2, block B: 1680m2, block C: 2670m2, block D: 2430m2)
Site area 0.37ha
Form of contract or procurement route Design and build, Contract JCT 2016
Construction cost Undisclosed
Architect Ruff Architects (planning, detailed design and delivery), Morris+Company (concept), Coffey Architects (planning)
Client Tiger Developments, Host, Habito Co-Living
Project manager KS4
Structural engineer WhitbyWood
Interior designer James Alexander Design
M&E consultant ProMEP (construction only)
Fire consultant Jenson Hughes
Landscape consultant BBUK
Acoustic consultant MZA Acoustics (construction stages only)
Principal designer CField Construction
Approved building inspector Meridian
Planning consultant Avison Young (pre-construction), Ruff Architects (construction stages)
Main contractor CField Construction
CAD software used Revit

Environmental performance data

Percentage of floor area with daylight factor >2% Not calculated
Percentage of floor area with daylight factor >5% Not calculated
On-site energy generation Not calculated (via air source heat pumps)
Annual mains water consumption 110l/person/day
Air permeability at 50pa 5 m3/h.m2
U-values Ground floor: 0.1 W/m2K, external walls: 0.15 W/m2K, roofs: 0.12 W/m2K, windows: 1.24 W/m2K
Design life 60 years
Annual CO2 emissions 55.9 kgCO2eq/m2 (regulated)