Staffordshire University Student Village

The project involves the delivery of 715 new bedrooms and 298 refurbished bedrooms, as well as a new village ‘hub’ and a pedestrian bridge linking the accommodation to the wider campus, which will be known as the new Staffordshire University Student Village.

The Student Village will be built on the opposite side of the River Trent, next to an existing nature reserve and close to the existing Clarice Cliff Court Halls of Residence and the Woodlands Day Nursery and Forest School.

The project will also include the demolition of 743 existing student residences which are no longer fit for purpose, meaning that no new capacity will be added to the current accommodation offering. The demolished site will be turned into new parkland to enhance the surrounding nature reserve and biodiversity.

Design features

The accommodation being delivered includes a combination of cluster blocks and townhouses, and all bedrooms will be ensuite.

The entire project is designed to achieve Net Zero Carbon in Operation (NZCiO). The student accommodation will target EPC A ratings for energy performance.

Roof-mounted photovoltaic panels are being installed to create on-site renewable electricity, alongside the addition of air source heat pumps in the design to minimise ongoing energy demand for hot water. Willmott Dixon are also the UK’s leading Passivhaus contractor, and core Passivhaus principles include highly insulated and airtight fabric, couple with mechanical ventilation and heat recovery to reduce energy and carbon emissions.

Upon completion of the new development, existing life-expired accommodation at the Leek.

Road site will be demolished to make way for the creation of new green space on campus delivering considerable bio-diversity gains for the area. The design team have created an exciting, scenic, and accessible pedestrian bridge connecting the new village with the existing campus, aligning with the University’s goal to maintain full accessibility throughout the entire campus.

Sustainability

Roof-mounted photovoltaic panels are being installed to create on-site renewable electricity, alongside the addition of air source heat pumps in the design to minimise ongoing energy demand for hot water.

Willmott Dixon are also the UK’s leading Passivhaus contractor, and core Passivhaus principles include highly insulated and airtight fabric, couple with mechanical ventilation and heat recovery to reduce energy and carbon emissions.

Local economic impacts

The project will contribute additional parkland to enhance the existing nature reserve and biodiversity surrounding the site.

The quality of the new accommodation will be superior to other available student housing in the surrounding Stoke-on-Trent area, and will hopefully attract more students to living on campus, and thereby contributing to the economic growth of the city centre. With the student population expected to keep growing, it’s incredibly important that the accommodation on offer is revamped and added to where possible.

Staffordshire University is known for its strong focus on digital innovation and immersive teaching techniques which seek to emulate real world scenarios across most of its subjects.

It is a leader in Computer Science, Games Design and Film Production. All of which are exciting growth areas.