Work begins on state-of-the-art student halls
Construction has now begun on an exciting new investment in high-quality sustainable student accommodation at Keele University.
As part of the University’s accommodation enhancement and expansion project, in response to student demand, the University is investing in the accommodation available to students, creating two new halls of residence on campus at Barnes Hall, which are being built by Seddon Construction Limited.
Located close to the centre of the University’s 600 acre campus, the halls will offer 453 en-suite bedrooms, large open-plan social spaces, kitchens, dining and lounge areas, a laundry room and a dedicated halls management centre. They will provide high levels of thermal and energy efficiency and each living area will benefit from double width and height windows to offer panoramic views across the rural campus.
Phil Butters, Director of Estates and Development at Keele University, said:
“We’re delighted to mark the commencement of this exciting investment during the same week we receive the news that Keele has been ranked first for student satisfaction in the National Student Survey for an outstanding third consecutive year.
As a leading university, we want to continue to offer students a breadth of choice and availability of accommodation, not least for new students but also returning students each year, who benefit from our sector-leading student experience, through living and studying on Keele’s campus.
Our accommodation enhancement and expansion project is not just about providing what our students need now, but to help us cater for students’ needs over the coming years, which requires us to provide the facilities and services expected of a leading international campus-based university.
“We will continue to work proactively with the local community and our students as we move forward with the next stage of the development and look forward to welcoming students into the new halls during the 2017/18 term.”
Jonathan Seddon, Managing Director added,
“This exciting major project builds on what has already been a good year for Seddon in the region and, more importantly, on work we have delivered for our long-standing partner, Keele University over many years.
As a local, family business, it’s important that we spend as much as we can in the surrounding area. The more materials, labour and sub-contractor packages we can source locally the better. Not only is it good common sense, but it’s reinvesting the University’s money into the local community.
“In addition, we’ll be able to continue employing and training lots of people from the region and as a National Skills Academy, this project will enable us to take on 10 new apprentices from the local area.”
Keele University has some 3,000 on-campus student study bedrooms, the majority of which have been recently refurbished.