Guildford Plaza
GUILDFORD - COMPLETED 2025
This 301-unit co-living scheme provides high-quality housing for young professionals, serving local demand and the wider London commuter belt. The scheme by Ruff Architects features a collection of four buildings on a constrained site which respond to individual characteristics of surrounding listed buildings and the wider conservation area.
Located on the site of a former brewery, the development was designed at planning by Coffey Architects, it was then taken over by ACG architects, and following the previous contractor’s insolvency, Ruff Architects undertook detailed design which respected early-stage strategy and architectural decisions, and their scheme completed in September 2025.
BBUK were involved in the scheme from the start, and our design created distinctive new landscaped spaces within and around the development. The new buildings are linked around a central multi-level courtyard, with planters used to divide the space into a series of communal seating areas of varying sizes. The biodiverse planting features many native species including multi steam trees and shrubs layered to capitalise on views and provide seclusion. The addition of a green periphery to the site including a large oak at the gateway to the courtyard area brings some much-needed urban greening to the surrounding streets.