The students at Collingwood College in Durham are enjoying their new state-of-the-art custom music facility now it has officially opened.

The studio, known as Mark Hillery Music Studios, features soundproof practice rooms, a drum and vocal booth, recording studios and a control room, together with an oak floor and a suspended ceiling of acoustic clouds.

We designed the new facility alongside our client, Durham University, who can now accommodate the needs of their students who are able to produce music in a professional studio.

The single storey building has been constructed on an existing car park at the College, adjacent to a major student circulation route to and from the campus. We adopted a sustainable approach to the design of the building, including a focus on passive design and a photo-voltaic panel array.

Jonathan Hunter, Partner at GSS, said, “We are pleased to see another of our projects with Durham University being utilised and enjoyed by the students. At GSS, we put our client’s needs first and collaborate with them to ensure we deliver the best design solutions possible.”

Speaking of the newly completed custom music facility, Professor Joe Elliott of Collingwood College, said “GSS has once again provided us with an iconic design that will enable our students to maximise their potential.”

The Mark Hillery Studios is one of many projects that we have worked on with Collingwood College, including delivering a 200-seat state-of-the-art flexible theatre space for all performing arts and new student common room. Further across Durham University, we were also architects on the conservation of the Grade II* listed Bishop Cosin’s Library, located in the Durham World Heritage Site, as well as works across Palace Green Library and Durham Cathedral.