New host student accommodation in Bournemouth

Tiger Developments and main contractor Shore Construction held a ceremony to mark the milestone at the six-storey development on January 31st 2023. The site, situated at 17a Christchurch Road within the Lansdowne Campus of Bournemouth University, was purchased by Tiger Developments in January 2020 and, once complete, will be managed by its sister company Host, the award-winning student accommodation provider.

The new building, designed by architects Stride Treglown, replaces a 1950’s light industrial unit that previously occupied the site. The finished building will house 206 future students in three, tiered blocks, in a mix of high quality studios and clusters of between four and ten beds The development will include additional facilities including a gym, cycle storage, communal lounge, outdoor terraces and outdoor courtyard.

In recent years, Central Bournemouth has experienced a well-publicised shortage of student beds, where the purpose-built sector has not met the growing student demand in the city, where more than 19,000 students now account for 10% of the town’s population.

James Hobden, Managing Director, Shore Construction commented:

“We’re delighted that our first PBSA development will help ease the shortage of student beds in Bournemouth, easing the pressure on student accommodation and private rental housing in the area.”

The finished development in the East Cliff Conservation area, will be clad in a mixture of brick and fibre cement rainscreen and incorporates a feature tower cladding in 3 different earthy colours. The building will also feature solar panels and air source heat pumps, helping it to a achieve a Very Good BREEAM sustainability rating.”

John Nesbitt Managing Director at Tiger Developments and Host, said:

“We are delighted to have reached this important milestone in the development of this new student accommodation for Bournemouth. This will be a fantastic place for students to live and, in line with the increasing popularity of the town and its Universities as a place to study, we are already seeing a lot of interest in the rooms.

We look forward to completing the development later this year, at which stage our highly experienced team at Host will take over the day-to-day operation and management of the accommodation and ensure students receive a warm welcome in September.”

During the project which commenced in February 2022, main contractor Shore Construction has focused on employing local contractors and workers to maximise the direct benefits to the local economy. In addition, the developers have hosted ‘Introduction to Construction’ courses which offer valuable health and safety training to new construction workers as well as providing free CSCS cards.

The 17A Christchurch Road marketing suite is located at 54 Holdenhurst Road and is now taking reservations for September 2023 occupation.

A significant milestone of a University’s Estate Masterplan has been completed with the use of an acoustic system solution provided by Sto. The company’s StoSilent Distance system and StoDecosit interior plaster now provide a practical and comfortable acoustic environment for the new 25-metre, 8-lane pool at the University of Portsmouth’s £57M Ravelin Sports Centre.

“When it comes to coping with the warm and humid atmosphere found in swimming pools, the StoSilent Distance system is the most rugged and reliable solution on today’s market,” comments Sto’s technical consultant, James Gosling. “That made it an obvious choice for the University of Portsmouth sports project.”

The StoSilent Distance system was installed as a suspended ceiling using Sto’s specially protected subconstruction, which is epoxy powder-coated to protect against corrosion. StoSilent Distance acoustic boards were then fixed to the sub-construction, which can be adjusted to any shape of room to form a homogeneous, seamless surface. These high-performance acoustic boards are manufactured from blown glass granulate and are bonded to a backing laminate. This prevents any air from flowing through them and causing marking or staining on the completed ceiling, but still allows them to attenuate sound waves. For this project the boards were finished with StoSilent Décor M – a sound-permeable silicate acoustic coating which creates a seamless, clean and attractive appearance that will resist attack from the humid atmosphere.

“The system can be installed as a suspended ceiling or as a wall covering, adds a spokesman for the Broadsword Group who installed the Sto materials. “It’s easy to cut and work, and can be adjusted, allowing you to create sound-absorbent, smooth surfaces or sharp joints and creases as required.”

“The building has been designed to set new standards for sustainable sports buildings, and this made StoSilent Distance an excellent choice as the insulation boards are manufactured using 96% recycled glass granulate,” adds James Gosling. “Providing a reliable and effective acoustic treatment in the harsh environment of a swimming pool can be a real challenge, but our StoSilent Distance system has been proven on this type of application many times over.”

Sto also provided an interior plaster solution for the walls of the Ravelin Sports Centre swimming pool. The company’s StoDecosit plaster is ideal for this type of application as it combines the best properties of emulsion-based plasters and silicate plasters into a single product, and has excellent mold-resistant and moisture management characteristics. Made-up of 97% natural ingredients, preservative-free and Naturepluscertified, it meets the highest environmental standards, and it creates a rugged, impact-resistant and hardwearing finish for the walls