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UK: A £530 million PBSA scheme at the University of Manchester’s Fallowfield campus will be the largest Passivhaus student scheme in the world, and the UK’s largest pre-cast MMC-centred project.
The redevelopment, by developer GRAHAM, will provide 3,300 student rooms. The project will be delivered through a 50-year partnership model between The University of Manchester, Equitix, GRAHAM and pension insurance specialist Rothesay, with cornerstone funding provided by Rothesay.
It aims to have an operational energy use of half that of conventional new-build student accommodation when complete.
The development will include shared social facilities such as a student bar, bookable social and study spaces, music practice rooms, and wellbeing facilities.
It is expected that the project will generate up to £250,000,000 in social return on investment, supporting the local economy, and bringing new jobs, apprenticeships, local supply chain income, business growth initiatives, employability skills, work experience, placements, and funded student activities.
The development will be delivered in phases, and the first 1,000 rooms will open in 2028. Additional accommodation and the central hub facilities will open in 2029, and everything else will open in 2030.
Neil McFarlane, strategic development director at GRAHAM Investment Projects, said: “Projects of this scale can only be delivered through strong collaboration between the public and private sectors, and reaching financial close is a major milestone that enables us to move into delivery. Significantly, Fallowfield is the largest Passivhaus student accommodation project in the world as well as being the largest pre-cast MMC-centred development in the UK, setting a new benchmark for sustainable development. We are proud to be at the forefront of delivering a project of this scale and together with our partners, we look forward to creating a development that will have a lasting positive impact for students, the local economy and Manchester for generations to come.”
Barra Mac Ruairí, chief property officer at the University of Manchester, said: “We are very pleased that by working in true partnership we looked for innovative solutions to opportunities and the inevitable challenges which working at such scale presents. Getting to this milestone was a tremendous endeavour. Our new Fallowfield residences are going to be among the most sustainable in the world and are designed to deliver an outstanding student experience. I’m looking forward to working with our partners as we continue to develop the site.”
Highlights:
- A £530 million PBSA scheme at the University of Manchester’s Fallowfield campus will be the largest Passivhaus student scheme in the world, and the UK’s largest pre-cast MMC-centred project
- The redevelopment, by developer GRAHAM, will provide 3,300 student rooms
- The project will be delivered through a 50-year partnership model between The University of Manchester, Equitix, GRAHAM and pension insurance specialist Rothesay, with cornerstone funding provided by Rothesay
- The development will be delivered in phases, and the first 1,000 rooms will open in 2028. Additional accommodation and the central hub facilities will open in 2029, and everything else will open in 2030
