Wilkinson Eyre has completed the design of an undergraduate community for the Dyson College of Engineering and Technology. This landscape community, consisting of wooden modular houses, includes public facilities and an exchange learning center, situated on the Dyson Malmesbury campus in Wiltshire. Beyond creating a new kind of student dormitory, the project breaks new ground in design, overall planning, and engineering, achieving truly modular prefabricated building technology that allows for rapid construction.
The Dyson College of Engineering and Technology pioneers a new learning model that blends higher education campuses with business, research, and development environments. Within this community, the next generation of engineering students live, work, and study alongside Dyson’s global engineering team, ultimately earning their engineering degrees. Innovative approaches to materials and construction, along with a focus on student well-being, reflect the forward-thinking spirit of BIM learning embedded throughout the campus.
This community accommodates 50 students from Dyson College as well as visiting staff. The high-quality living cabins are made from factory-produced cross-laminated timber (CLT), enabling quick on-site assembly. These cabins are arranged in units two to three stories tall, creating vibrant social spaces and adding a distinctive architectural feature to the campus, which is located adjacent to industrial buildings.
Some cabin groups are suspended up to 3 meters above ground, making full use of CLT’s structural capabilities. The design also leverages CLT’s heat retention properties to provide students with energy-efficient, comfortable living spaces. Interior finishes throughout the cabins, including kitchens and bathrooms, feature wood to create a warm and natural atmosphere.
Design prioritizes happiness and well-being, with each cabin featuring natural ventilation and expansive triple-glazed windows. The window angles are carefully calculated to maximize views for residents. The cabin exteriors are clad with aluminum rain-screen panels, and green roofs are installed based on their location within each unit.
Each cabin measures 8 by 4 meters and features an open-plan layout with an entrance area, adjacent shower and bathroom, a central bedroom, and a combined work/living space. This design maximizes natural light. The cabins are prefabricated off-site and fully assembled before delivery, including custom furniture and built-in storage.
Situated on a crescent-shaped site, the cabins are arranged in groups that follow the curves of the surrounding landscaped embankments. Each group holds up to six units and includes shared amenities such as a kitchen and laundry room located on the middle entrance level, along with reception and storage spaces. To enhance a sense of community, each cabin has its own front door. Lower-level cabins open to landscaped gardens, while upper-level cabins connect to winding ramps and stairs.
The dynamic arrangement of cabins adds informal residential character to the community. Green spaces and pathways connect residents throughout the area, linking the residential clusters to the central community hub known as the Roundhouse.
Design Drawings:
▲ General Layout Plan
▲ First Floor Plan
▲ Second Floor Plan
▲ Roof Plan
▲ Unit Plan
▲ Elevation View
▲ Sectional View
▲ Sectional View
Project Information:
Architectural Firm: Wilkinson Eyre
Location: Malmesbury, United Kingdom
Category: Sustainable Development
Lead Architect: Wilkinson Eyre
Project Year: 2019
Photographer: Peter Landers
Manufacturer: Brise Soleil, Floor, 1st Floor, Autodesk
Client: Dyson
Structural Engineer: Buro Happold
ME Consultant: Hydrock
Quantity Surveyor: Turner and Townsend
Landscape Consultant: Grant Associates
Project Manager: Turner and Townsend
CDM Partners: Turner and Townsend
Building Inspection: JHAI
Main Contractor: Roundhouse Beard Pods: CD
Indoor Building Area: Individual pods 26 sqm each; total 1,612 sqm for all pods combined. Exact GIA for the Roundhouse is unknown.
Internal and External Building Area (gross external): 1,060 sqm for the Roundhouse, 200 sqm roof terrace, pods 32 sqm each.
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