Manchester-based Ocon was selected as preferred bidder for the 1,259 unit Crown Place scheme following a two stage open tender, impressing the client by modifying the design brief to include 200 additional units on the same footprint.
The scheme will create a new landmark building on the eastern approach to the university.
The design & build project, designed by Lewis & Hickey Architects, comes as Ocon’s work on the University of Liverpool’s £34m Chatham Street scheme draws to a close. Once completed in August 2014, Crown Place will bring the total number of student bedrooms constructed by Ocon for the university to 2,008.
Located on Brownlow Hill in the centre of the University of Liverpool’s city campus, Crown Place will be constructed on the site of the university’s former veterinary school, which will move to a new building, currently nearing completion. Work will begin on site this month when the veterinary school has moved across to its new facilities. Ocon will then demolish the existing building, recycling the fabric as piling material for the new development.
The development will be constructed in three main buildings, each rising between seven and 10 storeys. All three buildings will be of concrete frame construction with a mix of brickwork, curtain walling and GRC cladding. The development’s close proximity to the main rail line serving Liverpool Lime Street, which runs partially underground adjacent to the site, will also require vibration monitoring during the building operations.
Environmental specification to help the building achieve its BREEAM Excellent status includes green roofs and a heating system that will run off spare capacity from the university’s existing district heating infrastructure, requiring no new plant.
Ocon managing director Andrew Barker said: “It was our expert understanding of the sector and proactive approach that enabled us to add value to the proposed scheme at tender, helping the university to realise its ambition to raise the standard and number of student bedrooms available in Liverpool while minimising the university’s carbon footprint, which was benchmarked in 2005. The experienced team from the Chatham Street scheme will simply move across to the Crown Place project this month and we are looking forward to seeing the latest development take shape.”
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