Unite Students has started building work on its new £185 million property in Stratford, London. Hawthorne House is being built in Farthingale Walk, Stratford, and is replacing former office block Jubilee House, which has now been demolished. It will open in time for the 2026/27 academic year. The 36-storey property
700-bed development is granted planning approval by Nottingham City Council The development aims to be net-zero carbon once open, running on 100% renewable electricity Unite Students, the UK’s leading owner, manager and developer of purpose-built student accommodation, has been granted planning approval for a new 700-bed development at Derby Road,
The centre of Durham has welcomed a new, purpose-built student accommodation scheme incorporating a former Victorian hospital, which was successfully completed in anticipation of this year’s intake of students. Sladen Estates, Peveril Securities and Helios Properties completed the high-specification, 362-bed development Rushford Court three weeks ahead of schedule. “We are
BDC 319 : Aug 2024
Unite Students has started building work on its new £185 million property in Stratford, London. Hawthorne House is being built in Farthingale Walk, Stratford, and is replacing former office block Jubilee House, which has now been demolished. It will open in time for the 2026/27 academic year. The 36-storey property includes a 65,000 sq ft sixth-form academy, the London Academy of Excellence, over eight floors, which will be in place for an initial 35-year term. Unite Students is using a ‘fabric first’ approach, which means the design of the building optimises the materials being used in its construction to give better energy efficiency, such as maximising air tightness and solar gain. The development’s embodied carbon saving is 9,770 tCO2e (tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent) over 60 years, which exceeds the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) 2030 Climate Challenge baseline. These are voluntary performance targets for operational energy use, water use and embodied carbon. London, which is home to over 300,000 students, hosts three of the world’s top 25 universities. Unite Students is the capital’s largest student accommodation operator and is committed to adding more beds. Unite Students acquired the Farthingale Walk site earlier this year for £73million. RG Group has been awarded the build contract. Tom Brewerton, Group Development Director at Unite Students, said: “Unite Students is leading the purpose-built student accommodation sector in London and Hawthorne House will be a unique offering in the capital. Our rental offer remains very competitive when compared to alternative forms of student accommodation and we are confident our fixed-price, all-inclusive rent provides real value-for-money for our customers. “Hawthorne House will offer high quality bedrooms, social and study areas, and will be home to a sixth form academy. It shows Unite Students’ commitment to deliver high quality student accommodation using sustainable methods. We look forward to furthering our relationship with both University of the Arts London and the London Academy of Excellence.” Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
700-bed development is granted planning approval by Nottingham City Council The development aims to be net-zero carbon once open, running on 100% renewable electricity Unite Students, the UK’s leading owner, manager and developer of purpose-built student accommodation, has been granted planning approval for a new 700-bed development at Derby Road, Nottingham. The development, which is located adjacent to the University of Nottingham’s Jubilee Campus, is planned to open in time for the 2023/24 academic year. The total development costs will be £57 million. It will consist of 661cluster flats with en-suite bathrooms and 39 studio apartments. The development aims to be net-zero carbon once open, running on 100% renewable electricity with solar panels installed on the roof and an all-electric heating system, including air-source heat pumps. The new complex, which is a former car showroom site, will also provide a commercial building for external use. Additionally, there will be extensive green public open space, as well as substantial biodiversity improvements to the land around the property, with improved access to the River Leen. Nick Hayes, Unite Students’ Group Property Director, said: “We are delighted to have secured planning approval for this exciting development, which allows us to deliver high-quality student accommodation that complements the surrounding area. “The development supports our strategy of increasing our alignment to the strongest universities and will help to deliver operational efficiencies through greater scale in Nottingham.”
The centre of Durham has welcomed a new, purpose-built student accommodation scheme incorporating a former Victorian hospital, which was successfully completed in anticipation of this year’s intake of students. Sladen Estates, Peveril Securities and Helios Properties completed the high-specification, 362-bed development Rushford Court three weeks ahead of schedule. “We are delighted to have completed this stunning development ahead of schedule for Unite Students. This is a significant scheme for Durham on a site with a great deal of local heritage and we are exceptionally happy with the finished development,” said Chief executive at Sladen Estates, Nick Sladen. The development saw the extensive restoration and modernisation of the original 1850’s Durham County Hospital Harding building, which now houses a range of studio apartments and amenities including: a gym, cinema room, co-study areas and communal entertainment space. Two, modern, purpose-built accommodation wings have replaced the redundant 1970’s buildings on the hospital site. “We have revitalised a gateway site to the city whilst also providing much needed student accommodation to relieve some of the pressure on the local housing stock,” Nick added. The development is owned and operated by Unite Students, the UK’s largest and most established manager and developer of purpose-built student accommodation which operates more than 50,000 beds across the country. “We have seen excellent take up so far which is testament to the quality of services on offer and there is no doubt that Rushford Court offers the best accommodation available in Durham. From our first glimpse of the site and the proposed scheme we knew it would attract a great deal of positive attention, and the finished scheme has realised an even better vision than the plans displayed,” said Matt Painter of Unite Students.
