OCON ON SITE AT UNIVERSITY OF LIVERPOOL'S £35 MILLION STUDENT RESIDENCE
Designed by architects Stride Treglown, the new scheme, named ‘Vine Court’, comprises 710 student accommodation units, providing a mix of en-suite study bedrooms, studio apartments, two-bedroom apartments and two-bedroom duplex ‘loft’ apartments. Constructed as two horseshoe-shaped buildings, the development will also include a 250-seat restaurant and a cafe in the ‘West Block’ and retail space, currently designed as three units plus a laundrette, in the ‘East Block’.
The student development is being hailed as the most sustainable in the UK and includes features such as a grey water system to provide water for toilet flushing, LED lighting for common areas, air source heat pumps, brown and green roofs, solar-thermal heating and integral natural habitats built into the brick work.
Constructed on the site of a former car park, the development will also feature secure bicycle stores for use by students. Varying between five and nine storeys, including a mezzanine level in the restaurant, the development will be of concrete construction with a brick outer skin and will be built around a central, landscaped courtyard which will be open as a public space during the day.
Steve Dickson Director of Facilities for the University of Liverpool: “This scheme will be a flagship student residence for the University of Liverpool and will see the number of student rooms available from the University rising to above the 4,000 mark for the first time. Outside of term time the west block will be used for conference delegates and the whole scheme has been designed to hotel standards with a clear focus on environmental sustainability.
“We needed a specialist contractor to undertake a development of this importance and we selected Ocon for their experience and reputation in the sector.”
The project has now started on site and is due for completion in June 2012, ready for summer delegates and the new intake of students for the 2012/2013 academic year.
Comments managing director of Ocon, Andrew Barker: “This is an extremely prestigious project and will set a new benchmark for student accommodation both in the standard of specification and the emphasis on eco-friendly features”.
