Curtain goes up on one of UK’s most impressive Students’ Unions
Nottingham Trent University today unveils its new Students’ Union building - which is expected to be one of the most impressive in the country.
The development, a landmark on Shakespeare Street in Nottingham city centre, replaces the now demolished Byron House.
With three storeys of social and leisure space beneath four residential blocks, it is a major investment for the university’s City site.
Including the construction of the adjacent Gill Street accommodation, the development totals approximately £60 million and has created an additional 911 high quality student residences.
A joint venture with University Partnerships Programme (UPP), it was designed by Nottingham-based architects Church Lukas and built by Vinci Construction UK.
It follows the £90 million redevelopment of the university’s Newton and Arkwright buildings – also based at the City site – and takes Nottingham Trent University’s recent investment in its estates to £350 million.
Professor Neil Gorman, Vice-Chancellor of Nottingham Trent University, said: “During the past decade we’ve carried out a bold regeneration programme to transform our estates into the modern facilities that our students now enjoy.
“Our aim was to provide facilities that would inspire students, and the design of our new Students’ Union building, following extensive consultation with our students, is no exception in that regard.
“With the recent redevelopment of our Newton and Arkwright buildings at the City site, I now believe that Nottingham Trent University has one of the most impressive city centre campuses in the UK.”
A stunning design, one of the unique features is the south facing façade of the tallest accommodation block which elevates in a variety of directions.
In the Students’ Union, a 2,400-capacity night venue has been constructed which features £1 million-worth of light and sound equipment. Complete with a large stage, it will be used for live music and entertainment while doubling as a daytime bar.
Added to this social mix are two large Wi-Fi lounges complete with café bars and an underground retreat for students to relax in and mingle.
The leisure facilities include an impressive sports hall built to Sport England standards, a 100-station fitness suite, a dance studio and a 30ft climbing wall which rises through three floors and acts as a feature. A modern retail unit has also been built to provide groceries.
New, spacious offices and meeting rooms have been provided for Nottingham Trent Students’ Union, complete with a radio studio. Other office space houses some of the university’s students’ services.
The Students’ Union has impressive green credentials and it is hoped it will achieve BREEAM excellence. As well as being connected to the district heating system, it features under-floor heating and smart windows which open and close automatically to regulate room temperature. Low energy, power-down lighting is also in operation, switching off lights automatically when no-one is in the room. And energy display monitors provide live data on the building’s power usage.
Between three of the residential blocks on top of the Students’ Union are two private roof gardens, complete with trees, lawns, plants and seating areas.
Jo Southwell-Sander, president of the Nottingham Trent Students’ Union, said: “From the beginning the new building has been an exciting project. There has been student input in the research stage, right through to trying out the chairs for the lounge. Students have been able to see their ideas and thoughts really echo throughout the building.
“Not only is the building in a location that truly cannot be missed, it has a wide range of facilities that students need. From the sports facilities to the advice centre, there is no doubt that this will be a lively hub for the diverse range of students we have at Nottingham Trent University. The excitement that is already circulating is fantastic and students haven’t even arrived yet.”
Since construction began in February last year, up to 3,000 labourers and tradesmen have worked on the site, 170 of which were taken out of unemployment.
Stephen Jackson, chief financial and operations officer at Nottingham Trent University, said: “From the very beginning of our campus transformation programme we set our ambitions extremely high and I’m proud to say that we’ve done a good job in achieving them."
“We’ve developed some of the most impressive university buildings in the country and the new Students’ Union building is without doubt among the very best, if not the best."
“It gives me great pleasure to say that our work at the City site has not only been a major improvement to our premises, but also to the northern part of Nottingham city centre as a whole.”
Sean O’Shea, CEO of University Partnerships Programme, said: “I'm delighted to be celebrating the opening of what I believe is one of the best Student Union buildings in the country.
“UPP are committed to providing the best facilities to enhance the student experience. Working in close partnership with Nottingham Trent University, we have delivered high quality student accommodation and Students’ Union space.
“By pairing modern facilities with responsible, intelligent energy saving solutions, we aim to continually raise the bar for the student experience. This development represents an innovative environment that we hope matches the aspirations of its students.”
Interesting facts on the build:
o Standing at nearly 130 foot tall, accommodation block A is one of the tallest structures in Nottingham city centre
o At the peak of the construction programme four tower cranes were in use at once, with the highest being 60 meters tall
o The sports hall features two 500-tonne concrete beams to support the accommodation above
o Both beams are reinforced with six steel cables which have each been post-tensioned to 4,250 kilonewtons in strength
o Ninety-five per cent of the waste used onsite was recycled
o More than ten different types of glass were used
o More than 2,500 doors have been fitted
o Up to 600 deliveries of materials were taken a week
o Almost of third of a million bricks were laid as part of the scheme