The 515 bedroom development is being built for specialist accommodation provider Student Castle next to Oxford railway station. It will comprise flats, one bed studios and ‘twodios’, and is scheduled to be completed in summer 2020.
The multiple buildings within the three principal blocks will range from five to six storeys and will be constructed using a reinforced concrete frame.
Taking a lead from the city’s collegial quadrangles, the design will feature courtyards, gardens, cloisters and colonnades. Four storeys on the north side of block A will be cantilevered and the development’s façade will be created from glass reinforced concrete panels.
The scheme is the first project to break ground within the £500m gateway redevelopment of the Oxpens area, which when complete will comprise commercial, leisure and community uses, and flood mitigation works. The Student Castle development’s open spaces will form green links to the city centre as well as Oxpens meadow and beyond.
Winvic director Mark Jones said: “Starting on site to construct this 515 bedroom project is practically exciting as Winvic will be kickstarting an important regeneration project in the heart of historic Oxford on behalf of Student Castle Ltd.
“We will be using innovative construction materials, liaising with a large number of stakeholders, negotiating the bordering railway and creating a high-spec and quality finish during fit-out; Student Castle is another complex scheme that requires the skills we have in abundance, which can be added to Winvic’s ever growing list of multi-room projects.”
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