The new student accommodation is a seven-storied project at Bentley House. The scheme involves the demolition of part of the existing building behind a retained façade and construction of a 171-bed accommodation block along with associated external works, services, lifts and ancillary areas.
Protecting the architectural heritage of the building, bricks removed during demolition will be salvaged, cleaned and reused where possible. The scheme will also use new material matched to the original as closely as possible.
Sensitive demolition techniques and sophisticated logistics planning will be used in the demolition work as the building is situated within close proximity to an area of high pedestrian footfall and heavy traffic. An innovative piling solution, which will complete prior to the start of demolition works, will facilitate the seamless transition between an old and new sub-station.
The scheme is scheduled to complete in time for the 2014 student intake and upon completion, the building will be certified with a BREEAM Very Good rating.
