UWE Bristol completes largest low carbon student accommodation development in UK

New student accommodation at UWE Bristol which is the largest low carbon development of its kind in the UK has been completed.

Purdown View, a 900-bedroom student village at Frenchay campus, will be fully occupied for the next academic year starting in September.

With sustainability at its heart, the groundbreaking development has received Passivhaus certification for meeting the highest possible eco credentials. Passivhaus buildings provide excellent occupant comfort while using little energy for heating and cooling. Purdown View will reduce energy by 81% and carbon by 79% per room compared with the housing it replaced.

Students living at Purdown View will benefit from a comfortable temperature year-round and improved internal air quality, thanks to sustainability features including triple glazed windows, high levels of insulation and a mechanical ventilation system. As a fossil fuel-free development, any heating required will be generated by air-source heat pumps and electricity will come from solar panels.

Residents have vibrant green spaces and a new public art sculpture garden on their doorstep, boosting biodiversity on campus and supporting student mental health and wellbeing.

Professor Sir Steve West, Vice-Chancellor at UWE Bristol, said: “We are extremely proud to have completed the largest Passivhaus-accredited student housing project in the UK. It demonstrates our determination to address the challenges of climate change, move towards our 2030 carbon targets and our commitment to student wellbeing and experience.

“We’re looking forward to seeing these fantastic new energy efficient residences being fully occupied by our students later in the year, helping address the shortage of student accommodation in the city and fulfilling our commitment to make more high quality, purpose-built accommodation available on campus for our first-year students.

“Purdown View has been partially occupied since January and we have received very positive feedback from students, who have told us they are proud and excited to be part of an innovative development designed to be as energy efficient as possible and tackle climate change issues.”

Arranged across three blocks on a site formerly occupied by Carrol Court student accommodation, the 26,000m2 ultra low energy scheme was designed by Stride Treglown, Curtins, Amber and QODA, with construction led by VINCI Building.

With the development completely airtight to minimise heat loss, occupants will rarely need to use heating as the accommodation retains warmth particularly well. Shading has been added to windows, and the layout of the buildings has been arranged with the path of the sun in mind, to restrict heat gain and ensure residents are comfortable in the summer months.

The landscape design, led by Stride Treglown in consultation with the university’s grounds team, will lead to major gains in biodiversity across the site. Landscaped courtyards, orchard-planting and green corridors have been developed following national Building with Nature standards, to which UWE Bristol researchers have contributed.

The public art sculptures, set in green space outside Purdown View, were created by artists Juneau Projects in collaboration with the university and Arnolfini, centre of contemporary arts in Bristol and part of UWE Bristol’s City Campus. The series of bronze sculptures and brick clay seating structures are based on the natural forms of mosses and similar plants. Developed with input from staff, students and local residents following a series of workshops, the sculpture garden has been designed as a community space that connects people to nature and becomes a welcoming place for meeting, recreation, study and quiet reflection.

Purdown View’s sustainability credentials helped UWE Bristol earn the Innovation in Student Housing prize earlier this month at the 2024 CUBO Awards, which recognise excellence in university and college commercial services.

UWE Bristol was named as a ‘1st Class’ university for sustainability in People & Planet’s latest sustainability league table, ranked 11th out of 151 higher education institutions. The University has no investments in fossil fuel companies and in January 2022 committed to maintain this position in perpetuity. In 2023, UWE Bristol won Sustainability Institution of the Year at the UK & Ireland Green Gown Awards.

The Purdown View development has enabled the University to reinstate its accommodation guarantee for first year students. For more information, visit the UWE Bristol website.