Before any design decisions were made, we were engaged to carry out an experience feasibility study for Keel Houses exploring how the building should be understood, used and emotionally experienced by students and how shared environments could genuinely support wellbeing, community and day-to-day living.

Located along the Union Canal at Lower Gilmore Place, the ambition was to create a student residence that felt calm, sociable and human-centred without relying on superficial amenity checklists or overly branded communal spaces. As the PBSA sector becomes increasingly competitive, the project focused on creating environments students would naturally choose to use, return to and connect with over time.

Our early work explored student behaviour, movement patterns, privacy thresholds and shared-space pressure points, testing how the building would function in practice rather than simply on plan. This experience logic became the foundation for the interior design approach that followed.

Shared spaces including cinema and games rooms, private dining and flexible lounge environments were designed around different social rhythms throughout the day supporting interaction, casual study, retreat and downtime within a single connected experience ecosystem. Rather than treating amenities as isolated destinations, the design considered how students move fluidly between spaces and how atmosphere, comfort and visibility influence occupancy and long-term use.

Across the 69 student apartments, space was carefully optimised through bespoke joinery and integrated storage solutions that balanced efficiency with warmth and everyday practicality. Integrated robe-headboard joinery, layered lighting, compact kitchens and carefully resolved bathroom layouts demonstrate how operational and spatial constraints were addressed without compromising comfort or quality of experience.

Material palettes, lighting and furniture selections were developed to create a softer, more hospitality-led atmosphere throughout the building helping communal spaces feel welcoming and naturally occupied rather than transactional or performative.

The result is a PBSA environment where brand, interiors and operational thinking work together to support a stronger sense of belonging, behavioural ease and emotional continuity throughout daily student life. Keel Houses demonstrates how experience-led design can move beyond amenity provision alone creating student living environments people genuinely want to re-enter and use as part of their everyday routines.