Named after the American professional golfer Renee Powell, the new hall provides 205 modern student bedrooms alongside high quality interactive social and common spaces. Inspired by the courtyard blocks of the existing hall, the three-sided u-shaped scheme creates a new central quad at the heart of the project.

The colour palette and finishes reflect and enhance the aesthetic of the building; elevations bounding the site incorporate light buff solid masonry and light grey polished concrete cladding panels. The social, study and common spaces throughout the building are located in prominent positions which, alongside zinc detailing help, activate and animate the façade. The angled window pods offer views out to the landscape northwards; a small nod to the A-listed Andrew Melville Hall to the west by James Stirling.

A double-height space to the west of the building provides social and common space close to the existing hall and a prominent active ground floor frontage to the new annexe. Students are drawn through these spaces upon entering the building along the route to the main vertical circulation cores as a means of encouraging interaction and engagement between students.

HLM Associate Ross Barrett said: “Powell Hall is designed to have a wide array of common spaces to foster communication and reflect the University’s mission of interdisciplinary collaboration. These interactions are key in connecting students, and in turn, creating a sense of community in each hall, enhancing the student experience and fostering academic and personal growth.”

The development also incorporates newly formed parking, drop-off areas and an entrance plaza to create a high-quality arrival space.

The Powell Hall development is part of the largest single expansion of student bedrooms in St Andrews for over a decade. HLM worked closely with Campus Living Villages and The University of St Andrews to design, develop and deliver over 400 new bedrooms in total across two new buildings within two years of being appointed.