The University of Brighton has selected ISG to build an £8.5m student housing project.
The contractor will build 147 student rooms on a brownfield site on the edge of the South Downs.
The project is phase II of the university’s three-phase £33m Varley Park scheme, which involves demolition of two existing 1960s accommodation blocks and the construction of three new BREEAM excellent rated replacements.
ISG work with architect HNW on the design-and-build project to deliver a complete turnkey project, including all fixtures and furnishings within the rooms, with completion scheduled for September 2013.
After demolition of the existing buildings, ISG will construct Slope House 2, Slope House 3 and Hill House 3 using pre-panelised steel framed superstructures for speed. The new buildings have been designed to fit with their surroundings, with Slope House 2 and Slope House 3 incorporating green roofs, while Hill House 3 will have a hand-made clay tile roof. All three buildings will be built into the landscape in a terraced arrangement with a mix of exterior architectural finishes including cladding, render, brickwork, tiling and trellising, and featuring both timber and composite windows.
The three buildings will be linked to a new energy centre that will serve all three phases of the Varley Park upgrade as part of a key focus on sustainability.
ISG southeast managing director Ian Gifford said: “This is a very demanding programme, which will see us deliver a complete turnkey project from demolition through to final fit out and furnishing. The scale and speed of the development and the live environment setting provides a range of challenges and we are utilising innovative technology, including BIM software to model the buildings and maximise base build efficiencies. Increasingly, quality student accommodation on campus is business critical for universities and this project will demonstrate the high standards that can be achieved on a live campus within an accelerated time frame.”
Got a story? Email news@theconstructionindex.co.uk
