Winvic Construction Ltd, a leading main contractor that specialises in the design and construction of private and public sector works and civil engineering projects has announced its appointment to deliver a new 544-bed Purpose Built Student Accommodation (PBSA) scheme on Westwood Way in Coventry, for new client Gilltown. Located a mile from the University of Warwick campus, Progress House involves the demolition of an existing office building to make way for six-storeys of contemporary student accommodation. The scheme will include a 4,000 sq ft ground floor commercial unit to serve both students and the local community. Positioned on Westwood Business Park, Progress House will add to the existing student accommodation provision within the park and will be a much-needed addition to the student village community – as demand for accommodation remains high. The development will include premium amenities comprising a gym, fitness studio, cinema, dinner party room, games lounge, study rooms and garden lounge, alongside en-suite bedrooms designed to provide high-quality living standards. An external sports area and petanque court will also feature. With sustainability at the forefront of Winvic’s operations, Progress House will be targeting a BREEAM Excellent rating and a WiredScore Platinum certification. Working in partnership with Gilltown and Coventry City Council, Winvic will deliver social value through the scheme, creating a positive impact for the local community. This will include creating opportunities for local employment, training, apprenticeships and work experience,  while also supporting the local economy by maximising opportunities for SMEs and social enterprises such as Nuneaton Signs. The project will leave a meaningful and lasting legacy in Coventry by supporting community organisations and promoting green and sustainable practices. The development is set for completion in Summer 2027, ready to welcome students for the 2027/28 academic year. Mark Jones, Managing Director for Multi-room at Winvic, said: “Coventry has a significant and vibrant student community at Westwood Business Park, with students choosing it for its location and social and academic facilities. Progress House will sit at the heart of this community, giving students a high-spec, sustainable and well-connected place to call home. “We are pleased to be working in partnership with Gilltown to deliver high-quality accommodation and create a positive legacy in this student community. Seeing the creation of the social value element of this scheme come to life as well as the new facility itself is something all parties are looking forward to. It’s a reflection of the Winvic Way ethos and our commitment to Doing It Right across all of our operations.” James Gillespie at Gilltown, said: “We are pleased to see work commence on this, our latest exciting PBSA development. Westwood Business Park is an ideal location for student housing and we are delighted to collaborate with Winvic Construction whose expertise and dedication to quality make them an ideal construction partner.” Winvic Construction specialises in the design and delivery of multi-sector construction and civil engineering projects and has delivered 12,000 beds since 2009 within its Multi-room sector, spanning Build-to-Rent, student accommodation, and bespoke hotel schemes. For more information on Winvic, the company’s latest project news and job vacancies please visit https://www.winvic.co.uk/?utm_source=pr&utm_medium=pressrelease&utm_campaign=progresshouse. Join Winvic on social media – visit X (Formally Twitter) @WinvicLtd – and LinkedIn Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals

A major student housing redevelopment is on the cards for Manchester, as Unite Students and Manchester Metropolitan University (MMU) sign a £390 million joint venture to deliver over 2,300 new student beds. The scheme will see the complete regeneration of the university’s ageing Cambridge Halls site, which will be closed this year. Originally constructed in the 1990s, the current low-rise accommodation blocks – providing around 770 bedrooms – will be demolished to make way for a modern student living complex. Under the terms of the agreement, Unite will hold a 70% stake in the partnership and take on the roles of developer, asset manager and operator. MMU will retain the remaining 30% interest by contributing the land. Construction is expected to begin in 2026, with a phased delivery running through to 2030. The first phase, due for completion in September 2029, will comprise 1,126 bedrooms split across a 24-storey tower, two 11-storey buildings, and an eight-storey block. The completed development will ultimately deliver 2,330 purpose-built student rooms – a significant net gain of 1,560 beds. Planning submission is anticipated later this quarter, with final joint venture formation scheduled for late 2025. This is Unite’s second university partnership and forms part of its broader strategy to target key university cities where demand for student accommodation is outstripping supply. In Manchester, for example, there are currently around 3.6 full-time students per available bed – well above the UK average – creating a pressing need for additional, high-quality housing. In a move to ease the transition, Unite has also agreed a five-year nomination agreement with Manchester Met to house 2,550 of its students at other Unite-managed properties during the redevelopment period. A spokesperson for Unite Students said the partnership reflects a shared commitment to delivering modern, sustainable and affordable accommodation that supports students’ wellbeing and enhances their university experience. Once complete, the new scheme is expected to transform the student housing offering in Manchester, supporting MMU’s growth ambitions while helping to meet the city’s growing accommodation needs. Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals

Leading design and build contractor McAleer & Rushe has been appointed by Vita Group to deliver a new 591-bed purpose-built student accommodation (PBSA) project on India Street in Glasgow. The development will feature high quality Vita Student bedrooms, each featuring integrated kitchens and en-suite shower rooms. The scheme also includes public realm improvements, creating open amenity spaces for both residents and the wider community, while a secure enclosed courtyard and two landscaped roof terraces will provide private outdoor spaces exclusively for residents. Benefiting from a wealth of amenities, including a state-of-the-art gym, social and study spaces, and café-style lounges, students can take advantage of Vita Student’s residents’ experience which has been designed to help maximise their life at university, including an on-site operations team delivering regular events, housekeeping and security. The contract award represents the fifth partnership between McAleer & Rushe and urban regeneration specialist Vita Group, which includes the award-winning Bruce Street in Belfast, New Waverley which is currently under construction in Edinburgh, and Gough Street which is progressing rapidly in Birmingham. Located on a 1.28-acre brownfield site, formerly home to the Strathclyde Regional Council office, the development is ideally positioned adjacent to Charing Cross railway station and close to the bustling student areas of Sauchiehall Street and Bath Street, with easy access to the University of Glasgow and the University of Strathclyde. Completion is targeted for July 2027. Mark Diamond, Senior Director at McAleer & Rushe said:  “We’re thrilled to be entrusted once again by our long-standing client, Vita Group, to bring forward this landmark scheme in the city of Glasgow. Unrivalled in its location and designed with sustainability in mind, India Street will no doubt serve as a stand-out addition to the city’s student accommodation landscape. Together with all partners, we look forward to breathing new life into this brownfield site to deliver much-needed student homes, revitalising the area for students and the wider community.” Allan Hemphill, Chief Development Officer at Vita Group commented: “We’re delighted to be working again with our partners McAleer & Rushe to shape the plans for 20 India Street, breathing new life into this brownfield site.  India Street marks our second development in the city and emphasises our further commitment to Glasgow where we will continue deliver an accommodation experience that will help students to thrive at this vital time in their university lives.” Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals

RED Construction Group, the specialist main contractor, has announced the appointment of its London division by Infrastructure Investments Ltd to complete works on a £31m student accommodation project. This follows the completion of £1.8 m worth of enabling works from RED Construction’s Special Projects team. Located close to Old Street Station in Shoreditch, and set to be completed in the Autumn, RED’s London team will carry out an extensive refurbishment and structural alterations increasing area from 47,000 sq ft to over 70,000 sq ft building in partnership with architects, ECE Westworks. Known as Willen House, the project has been designed to achieve a BREEAM rating of Excellent, taking the building’s height from six to eight storeys, whilst introducing a new façade with high-performance windows and glass-reinforced concrete. The refurbished student accommodation will house 208 bedrooms across seven floors, complemented by modern communal areas, together with two commercial units to the ground floor. RED Construction’s appointment is a direct result of the group’s extensive skillset, evidenced by the successful completion of the first phase enabling works by the Special Projects division. RED’s expertise in student accommodation has been instrumental in driving forward several schemes, with the London, South West, and Special Projects teams in the process of delivering over £75m of student accommodation in excess of 500 beds this year. Mark Iori, Managing Director of RED Construction London, commented: “Driven by growing demand, the student accommodation sector is a thriving, resilient market, and we are certainly seeing this influence our workstreams. The appointment of RED Construction London highlights the high standards delivered by the Special Projects team for the initial works, and how we create successful partnerships with clients like Infrastructure Investments.” Steven Gardner, at Infrastructure Investments Ltd, added: “Due to the project’s prominent location in Shoreditch, it was important for us to partner with a main contractor that had extensive experience delivering complex inner-city schemes. RED Construction London’s track record, paired with RED Special Project’s quality of enabling works, instil certainty that the London team will deliver the vision for our Willen House project.” RED Construction Group’s expertise in purpose-built student rooms is matched by its work in hotels, with the contractor’s South West division recently announcing the completed works on the UK’s first branded net zero hotel, voco Zeal Hotel at Exeter Science Park. Having been heavily involved from the design stage, RED Construction South West drew on their extensive knowledge of sustainable development to ensure the hotel would operate with industry-leading Energy Use Intensity (EUI) levels, a critical measure that will define building in the decades to come. Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals

Spectacular drone footage has captured construction progress of high-quality student accommodation at 292-298 St Vincent Street, Glasgow which is on schedule for completion in summer 2026. Developer Artisan Real Estate and Homes for Students, the UK’s largest independent student management company, are partnering with building contractor GRAHAM on the £70 million scheme. The completed development, to be known as St Vincent Studios, will provide 321 high quality self-contained studio apartments together with a range of additional facilities and amenities over 16 floors. This includes a dedicated reception, study rooms and common areas together with private dining, a gym, cinema room, roof terraces and secure internal cycle storage for 160 bikes. The drone footage shows progress on the building’s concrete superstructure is now well underway since construction started in September 2024. “It’s very exciting to see the building coming out of the ground, well on schedule for completion in summer 2026,” says Artisan Real Estate’s Managing Director for Scotland, David Westwater. “The next six months will see a big difference as we complete the concrete frame and floors and look forward to topping out the building. The completed development will meet the urgent need for high-quality purpose-built student accommodation in the city. The site is in a superb city centre location, within easy walking or cycling distance to several higher and further education establishments.” Gary Holmes, Regional Managing Director at GRAHAM Building North, adds: “It’s good to work with Artisan Real Estate to deliver attractive student residences within Glasgow city centre to alleviate the continued demand. Our team is now successfully bringing the development out of the ground, breathing life back into a site which has remained vacant for almost six years.” The completed development will be managed by Homes for Students, the largest independent student management company in the UK. Chief Executive Officer Martin Corbett says: “We are pleased to be working closely with Artisan Real Estate to ensure this will be a best-in-class, purpose-built scheme. We will be creating high-quality accommodation and amenities for students to enjoy, providing an exceptional user experience using the skills of our property team to foster and support student wellbeing whilst closely integrating with the local community.” Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals

GMI Construction Group has started work on a major purpose-built student accommodation (PBSA) scheme at Foss Islands Road in York. The £17m contract is the Yorkshire firm’s third PBSA project in the city, cementing its reputation as a leader in delivering high-quality student homes – with completion date targeted for the start of the 2026/27 academic year. Developed in partnership by Urbium Capital and Harrogate-based developer Gregory Properties, the brownfield site – previously occupied by Enterprise Rent-A-Car and Just Tyres – was acquired early last year. The five-storey building will feature 131 premium studios and two one-bedroom apartments, paired with an array of amenity areas, including co-working study spaces, fitness centre, multi-functional social areas, and landscaped courtyards that aim to enhance the student living experience. Equidistant from the University of York and York St John University and conveniently positioned on the edge of the city centre, it offers a perfect location for students. Designed with sustainability in mind, it aims to address York’s well-documented PBSA shortage while contributing to the area’s regeneration. In 2023 York was named as suffering one of the worst shortages of PBSA in the country, exacerbated by rising student numbers, increased demand for residential rentals, and a growing trend among landlords to target short-term holiday lets. GMI Construction Group has established a strong presence in York’s student accommodation market, with two other PBSA projects underway and due to complete later this Spring. These include a £50m 275-bed development for Olympian Homes on the former Rialto cinema and bingo hall site and a £22m project for S Harrison Developments on James Street, which will deliver 303 beds. Mick Spells, GMI’s Project Manager, said: “We’re excited to break ground on the Foss Islands Road project – continuing our work expanding York’s student housing infrastructure. “It’s a project that aligns perfectly with GMI’s commitment to delivering high-quality projects that benefit local communities. We look forward to bringing this scheme to life and making a positive contribution to the city’s student experience.” Iain McKillop, Investment Director at Urbium Capital, added: “We are pleased to see work commence on this exciting project. It exemplifies our dedication to transforming under-utilised brownfield sites to meet contemporary needs. Foss Islands Road is an ideal location for student housing, and we are proud to collaborate with GMI Construction Group, whose expertise and commitment to quality make them an outstanding partner. This development not only addresses the critical demand for student accommodation but underscores the significant role students play in York’s thriving economy.” Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals