Inspired by Colchester’s rich historic past, the purpose-built student accommodation scheme Enso was designed to encourage social interaction and offer a sense of balance to students, through the creation of bright and airy interior spaces. Balancing this design brief with sustainability, Forbo’s Marmoleum flooring ticked all the boxes and more for Ekho Studio, acting as the grounding material that tied all the spaces together.
Delivered by Melberry Development Management and Moorfield Group, Colchester’s Enso is a purpose-built scheme, with a blend of flexible ‘together’ spaces and generous rooms allowing students to enjoy views over the city, meet, study and relax.
Ekho Studio was appointed to design and deliver the interior finishes across the central areas, with an emphasis on creating bright, airy and light-filled spaces that encourage social interaction and promote relaxation and well-being. The design consultancy was also tasked with creating the look and feel for the scheme’s 282 student rooms, devising a colour palette that would tie in harmoniously.
Speaking about the project, Rachel Withey, Founding Partner at Ekho Studio, said: “This was an incredibly special project for us, being the first student accommodation scheme we had worked on. It was fantastic to be a part of, especially considering we were given relatively free rein by the client – they were very open to doing something different and bringing a unique, contemporary and attractive identity to the space.”
For the project concept, the team took inspiration from a sense of place, with a particular focus on Colchester’s rich and historic Roman past. Nature formed the second thread, with the surrounding countryside full of strong textures and dramatic forms and colours.
