K2 completes new student accommodation in Portsmouth

K2 Consultancy is pleased to have issued practical completion on the 836 bedroom student accommodation development at Greetham Street, Portsmouth for Unite Students.

The striking 25 storey high-rise is an impressive feature on the Portsmouth city skyline which will now provide a home-away-from-home for Portsmouth University students.

Construction works began in December 2014, with a 20-month build programme, that was delivered on time and budget.

K2 conducted a detailed inspection of every room within the building, working with the contractor RG Group over a 12-week period.  The building was successfully handed over to the Unite Operations team on the 1st August and students will occupy the building from early September 2016.

Entrance

Unite Students employed K2 Consultancy as Project Managers, Employer's Agent and Cost Consultants for this scheme.  K2 were heavily involved at all stages of the project from planning, design, construction and handover.

The development is neighboured by network rail, Council offices, existing student accommodation buildings and part of the development oversails a public highway. K2 successfully liaised with and managed all stakeholders in this project to ensure that the building could be built without difficulty.

The development also compromises a Portsmouth City Council Market store which will be occupied by 12 local businesses.


K2 ensured that the Council's detailed specifications were adhered to during construction, which has resulted in an exceptional facility for the Council and local businesses.


Chris Sorenti, Senior Project Manager for Unite Students said:

“The completion of the new Unite development in Portsmouth will represent a significant addition to our portfolio. This new scheme will support our ambition to grow our market share of competitively priced student accommodation in Portsmouth where demand exceeds supply.  It has been a pleasure to work with K2 Consultancy, who have strived to deliver outstanding service to us in the past and this is no exception."

Matthew Loughlin, K2 Consultancy Director commented:

“We aim to always focus on a professional high-quality completion and are able to manage numerous stakeholders involved.  This represents one of the three schemes we are managing for Unite."

Paul Jackson, Project Manager for K2 added:

“Greetham Street Portsmouth proved to be a challenging and rewarding project.  Despite the obstacles faced by the team, through a combination of careful collaboration with the client Unite Group and team, the issues were overcome to make this high profile project a great success. The size and location of the impressive project demonstrate K2’s ability to secure major schemes throughout the country and fulfil our client’s needs effectively.”

Team hand over 

About K2:
K2 is a leading construction consultancy providing project management, cost advice and project planning in the Real Estate and Infrastructure sectors, including residential, health and commercial property, to owners and business occupiers.  In September 2014, K2 Consultancy merged their Quantity Surveying activities with Rider Hunt (London) to form a new specialist cost management business K2 Rider Hunt (London) based in Farringdon. Offices are in Gatwick and London.

A great place to study

Key milestone reached as first modules are delivered for installation at student accommodation in Coventry

Sherbourne House student accommodation development in Coventry, reached a key milestone this week, with the arrival on site of the first modular units being used in the scheme. The modules have been constructed off site and are delivered and installed as complete units including all finishes, fittings and furniture.

This modular five storey student building is an extension of the current student accommodation.  A total of 145 modules, some of which feature oriel windows, are being delivered and installed.  These include studio bedrooms, accessible studio bedrooms, stair cores, lobby, reception areas, a common room, plant room and laundry room.

K2 Consultancy and K2 Rider Hunt are providing project management and cost consultancy services respectively, working with our client from initial concept design through to completion. This has included to date overseeing design development, planning permission award and procurement of the construction works to the current construction phase. The works are progressing under the JCT Design and Build form of contract.

 Richard Mould, Associate at K2 Rider Hunt commented: 

"We chose this method as our client had a very tight programme to achieve the desired completion date in time for the student intake in September 2016.  Modular construction is typically a quicker method compared to a traditional method of construction on site and, therefore, it was considered that modular construction offered the best opportunity to achieve the preferred completion date. In addition, the design of the scheme lent itself to a modular construction."

We asked Richard a few more questions about the modular schemes for Student Accommodation:

Do you think this is the way forward for future student accommodation schemes in terms of cost efficiency and timing?  

"Modular construction is a more expensive method of construction. However, in the current market, the cost differential between modular and traditional construction has reduced and therefore currently modular construction may offer a viable alternative for client’s looking to achieve programme savings. However, there are other factors, for example, design limitations, that need to be considered when advising on the proposed method of construction."

Would we recommend this to other clients and other schemes? 

"In the right circumstances modular construction can provide programme benefits to a client, however, this needs to be considered alongside the project design and target costs. In the current market conditions, it is a method of construction that is worth considering." 

Sherbourne House is conveniently located for students at Coventry University with the campus only a 15-minute walk away. Completion of the extension is due by September 2016.

Each room module has been carefully designed by Fraser Brown MacKenna Architects and Elements Europe under the Main Contractor, J R Pickstock, ensuring that the design is aesthetically pleasing yet affordable.