University of Warwick

Defining a campus identity

A biodiverse landscape unites a dislocated campus – and opens the university up to the city

 

Carefully refined over a fifteen-year partnership, our plan for the University of Warwick has created a coherent identity for this 700-acre campus.

Our vision was inspired by the university’s semi-rural setting – straddling the boundary between the city of Coventry and the surrounding Green Belt. A commitment to beautiful, biodiverse planting lies at the heart of our aesthetic, with wildflower meadows, rich native hedgerows and stands of Elm and Oak appearing as recurring motifs.

During our long relationship with the university our greatest intervention has been to unify the traditional campus heart with later satellite sites, through a network of connected public spaces.

One crucial transformation involved a busy road which had been dividing the central campus from newer expansions. Our solution prioritised pedestrians – turning the road into a welcoming shared surface, easy for everyone to use. The transport hub was also reimagined as a sociable public space - helping to embed the campus within the wider city. Today the campus presents a more welcoming face to the general public.

The university’s commitment to environmental excellence has allowed us to create a blueprint for sustainable design that has been rolled out across the campus. Green roofs and beautiful systems which recycle and reuse rainwater are standard in all new university projects.

Last but not least, we are proud to have welcomed a new cohort to the university - with bat boxes and newt reserves providing a very different kind of on-campus accommodation.

 (Churchman Thornhill Finch)
 (Churchman Thornhill Finch)
 (Churchman Thornhill Finch)
 (Churchman Thornhill Finch)
 (Churchman Thornhill Finch)
 (Churchman Thornhill Finch)

"Our relationships with research and education institutions run deep. We create engaging spaces that act as incubators of progressive new ideas – so much more than a beautiful view."