Grant Hall, The Lawns

Grant Hall, The Lawns

Grant Hall is a university hall of residence built between 1963 and 1967 to designs by Isi Metzstein and Andrew MacMillan of Gillespie, Kidd and Coia, following the practice's appointment by the University of Hull in 1961.

The building is constructed of loadbearing brick walls in buff and grey handmade sandstock bricks, with ground floors and roofs of timber and intermediate floors of concrete.

Grant Hall forms one of six halls of residence that together constitute the integral planned layout of The Lawns. The hall comprises a self-contained quadrangle of three-storey study bedrooms plus a basement, with a lower range behind housing wardens and tutorial staff. The plan is roughly triangular but with broken and staggered sides. Staggered cross-walls form a series of parallelograms defining the study bedrooms, which are split into five self-contained staircase units. Each room has its own angled balcony concealed from its neighbour by the stepped plan. Grant Hall abuts Reckitt Hall, while Lambert, Nicholson and Morgan Halls abut one another, the two groups forming long zig-zag walls of study bedrooms. Downs Hall stands freestanding between the two groups.

The outer, flat-roofed, brick elevation of three storeys and a basement faces east towards Downs Hall. Five obliquely angled blocks of five stepped bays project outward in a rough triangle to the foremost central block, with the recessed first block partially abutting Grant Hall. Each study bedroom has an orthogonally set window and balcony, concealed from its neighbour by the stepped plan. The balconies feature thick brick balustrades with narrow gaps below. Rows of bricks set vertically or on edge mark floor and roof slabs and the edges of the balustrades. The rooms have timber-framed sliding windows providing access to the balconies. Each block incorporates an orthogonal staircase bay with full-width fixed and opening timber-framed windows and horizontally boarded timber fascias. The staircase bays are positioned differently in the various blocks, creating a varying rhythm to the facades. The central block has shallow horizontal window grilles to the basement and on the right-hand side features a shallow, angled flight of brick steps descending to an underpass through to the quadrangle. The brick return walls have three or four rows of horizontal windows mostly at the inner end, some with an offset deeper window beneath lighting kitchens and bathrooms. The central block also has a timber-framed sliding glazed doorway to the right return.

The inner elevation comprises three-storey, five-bay stepped blocks of study bedrooms with balustrades, with the central three blocks facing west into the quadrangle and the two outer blocks overlooking grass. Three external flights of brick steps with steel ribbon balustrades lead up to oversized timber and glazed doorways into staircase halls. A shallow, angled flight of brick steps descends to the underpass, where oversized doors provide entry to two other staircase halls. Paths alongside the blocks are edged with low, zig-zag brick walls.

The quadrangle is closed by the lower, flat-roofed west range with similar detailing to the brickwork. Abutting the inner corners of the outermost three-storey blocks are single-storey stepped blocks of two bays with sliding windows opening into the quadrangle and doors to the side elevations. The south block has attached storage areas and a garage. Between them is a single-storey warden's house and a single-storey, single-bay block of offices and senior common room. These are attached to the corner of the north block and by a canopy over the quadrangle entrance to the south block. The warden's house has stepped east and west elevations with outer brick bays featuring sliding windows and glazed central sections with board spandrel panels and horizontally boarded timber fascias, and two glazed doors to the outer, west elevation.

Each of the five study bedroom blocks is arranged around a staircase either placed parallel to or at right angles to stepped rooms on wide landings. Half-level parlours off the parallel stairs have been bricked off and converted to en-suite bathrooms, whilst those off right-angle stairs have been converted to bedrooms. Rooms in some blocks have been provided with en-suite bathrooms while other blocks have shared bathrooms off the landings. On each floor, larger kitchens have been inserted either into former double study bedrooms or extended single rooms.

The circulation areas have exposed brick walls with concrete floor plates and plywood panelling, wood-veneered doors and timber architraves on the landings. The ground-floor stair entrances have tiled floors, and the ceilings on the ground floor and top floor have timber boarding. The staircases have balustrades of three horizontal timber rails fixed to slender square black steel posts and steel brackets. The upper and middle rails are swept with individual, straight bottom rails. The study bedrooms have plastered walls.

The warden's house has timber boarding to the ceilings of the entrance lobby, living room and kitchen, which is separated by a wood-veneered counter with a post and shelf over. The walls are plastered, with wood-veneered doors and timber architraves. Most fixtures and fittings have been replaced. The attached block has exposed brick walls to the circulation space and senior common room, with tiled floor and step around the outside of the senior common room and timber-boarded ceiling. The blocks have wood-veneered doors and timber architraves. Most fixtures and fittings have been replaced.

The courtyard contains low walls bounding paths, external steps to the staircase blocks and steps to the underpass. Steps to the underpass are also located on the east side of the building.