UNITE, MILLENIUM VIEW, COVENTRY
Work was completed on Millennium View in August 2017, the scheme is formed of three new buildings containing 391 rooms of student accommodation above three A1 to A4 units at ground floor level. The development of this site forms the final phase of an initiative to regenerate the local area with a bold, iconic new building of some scale to provide a backdrop to the new large square, Millennium Place. The Millennium View site was previously a temporary open space and depot for the Council’s highway contractors.
Early discussions with Coventry City planning department indicated that the development would need to respond to both the small scale areas associated with The Burges conservation area as well as the more modern and large scale elements found in the area around Millennium Place. In response to this, the scheme concept developed into three individual buildings, all relating to one another but each with its own unique relationship with its immediate context. The articulation of the building blocks responds to key findings from the site analysis. The first break line was generated by the curved facade of the Transport Museum’s principle elevation projected across Hales Street. The second break line runs along the route of the underground sewer which is known to cross the site and therefore precludes development.
Building C, the tallest of the three buildings, creates a relationship with the large open space of Millennium Place and the Millennium Arch. It turns the corner between Hales Street to Trinity Street, creating a new landmark focal point. The signature kink in the façade gives this building the iconic quality needed for such an important site, adding another jewel to the skyline of Coventry.
