January 16, 2018
Planning Permission was recently granted for a 90 bedroom Premier Inn Hotel at Oxford Greyfriars Court following a lengthy design and consultation process.
Allison Pike acted as client’s executive architect in conjunction with concept architects MICA (formerly Rick Mather Architects). The site is close to the Westgate Shopping Centre and faces Paradise Square, with the design intending to attract customers into the all-day coffee shop and restaurant at ground level. In total the design accommodates 90 bedrooms in addition to the Thyme bar restaurant and ancillary spaces.
Originally started in 2013, the design process has included 2 CABE reviews, the appointment of a specialist concept architect and substantial local authority involvement. Public realm improvements to Paradise Square are included in the proposals. The design features a lightweight steel frame construction, clad largely in brick, and arranged around two courtyard spaces created between the new structure and the existing Listed buildings adjacent.
The first courtyard doubles as the principal entrance route into the hotel while the second is a glimpsed private garden.The stepped form responds to the varying heights of surrounding existing buildings and gives the opportunity for ‘green’ sedum roofs at lower levels where they will be visible from adjoining premises as well as from within the hotel itself and from Oxford Castle which is situated due north of the site.