Student Life. Unified
Edge Hill University had a problem. Brilliant campus. Brilliant people. But no unified centre for student activities. When it came to places to hold events and socialise, options were thin on the ground. Ormskirk, where the university is based, is a lovely market town, but it’s hardly buzzing at midnight, and students were feeling it.
So when Edge Hill Students’ Union asked us to help imagine a new purpose-built home for student life, we went big. Three floors big. A building that doesn’t just fill a gap, but becomes the beating social heart of campus.
Listen First. Design Later
This project started with a deep dive, consultations with SU leaders, student representatives, society leads, and staff teams. Workshops, walk-throughs, wishlist sessions. We asked what students were missing, what they were craving, and what they needed to thrive.
The message was loud and clear. More energy. More social space. More choice. A place that brings everyone together, from the night owls to the gamers to the quiet coffee-and-a-chat crowd.
To firm up the brief we created a comic book story based on a day in the life of a group of Edge Hill students and how the building becomes another character in their day to day stories.
It was clear we'd need to build in flexibility. For spaces to be multi-functional, adaptable, able to shape shift easily. Our interior strategy for the new three-storey Students’ Union building answers that call in full.
Three Storeys of Creative Energy
On the ground floor, everyday student buzz is the engine: a welcome kiosk, a campus shop stacked with something for everyone, a beauty stall, gaming zones, reading areas and a brand new bar.
Move up a level and the atmosphere shifts into high energy, a flexible space that functions as an evening bar designed for club nights, gigs, comedy and all forms of late-night culture. Society groups finally have a home of their own too, with a space that adapts to the wild mix of activities they dream up.
The top floor is a different mood entirely. A calm rooftop lounge and terrace gives students a place to reset and soak up the view, a destination for afternoon coffees, group catch-ups and slow golden-hour moments. Flexible, custom built furniture throughout allows movement and change.
The building is also new home for the Student Services staff, creating an accessible environment with private, comfortable spaces for one-to-one help and support whenever it’s needed.
To unite the 3 floors we were reunited with local artist Jazz Stan who created vibrant, colourful murals for the stairwells and atrium.
Industrial Pop
We leaned into a raw industrial aesthetic. exposed textures, honest materials, stripped-back surfaces. Then we fired colour through the whole building like electricity. Pops and splashes of vibrant hues that bring energy and youthfulness to every corner. Making It feel alive and unlike anything else on campus.
The Result is a Students’ Union that finally matches the ambition and energy of Edge Hill’s student community. A place to meet, create, celebrate, play, relax, and dance th enight away. A building that solves a problem but more importantly, inpires possibilities.
More than a regular Students’ Union, this is campus culture, with the volume turned up.
“Sheila Bird absolutely nailed it. From day one, they listened, understood our students, and delivered a building that hits every part of the brief. The new Students’ Union feels alive — it’s social, flexible, full of personality and finally gives our campus the entertainment and community spaces we were missing.
The design is bold, thoughtful and built around real student need. We couldn’t have asked for a better partner or a better result.”
Paul Malone
Chief Executive, Students' Union
