HE may not yet be out of university but already architecture student Alex Cade is making his mark.

The 20-year-old has designed and overseen a £120,000 facelift of Summertown’s Oxford Nursery in Marston Ferry Road.

The Standlake resident was brought in by family friend Dawn Farrell and has now re-opened its doors after the summer overhaul.

Mr Cade, in the third year of his seven-year degree at Sheffield University, said: “I had a look at the building and came back to them with some designs and a costed scheme.

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“From the design stages, to management, to the construction, they put me in control of everything, so it was a fantastic experience but also a lot of responsibility.

“My main idea was to give the kids more interaction with the outdoors and bring in more natural light.

“I also tried to make the building a bit more playful and bright, so that people would know is was a nursery when they are driving past.”

Additions to the nursery include windows at different heights for different age children to look out of, a garden with a “mud kitchen”, a sand-filled “beach”, underfloor heating and pine-cladded walls.

During the construction phase Mr Cade drew on expertise from father Brian, who runs Standlake construction firm Edgestone Homes, and family friend Dave Godfrey, of Witney’s Pinewood Developments. The ex-Cokethorpe School, Ducklington pupil’s design followed a brief inspired by “Scandanavian style” cabins.

Mrs Farrell is managing director of The Oxford Nursery Limited, which also has branches in Oxford Science Park, Littlemore, Eynsham and Chalgrove.

She said: “We are absolutely thrilled with Alex’s work, he has created something really stunning and handled everything.

“Alex was so good at listening to what we wanted.

“I went to Alex and asked if we could turn it into a beach and he listened to what I had to say and now we have a beach.

“There is also a ‘mud kitchen’ in our new garden, which the kids love.’’ The next project for the nursery, Mrs Farrell said, will be an extension of the building to help it take on 20 more two to three-year-olds.

The scheme was granted planning permission by Oxford City Council in August.

Mrs Farrell added: “We will definitely be involving Alex in that project.

“In fact, he has already put together the costing for it.”

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