An international search has been launched to find architects and developers c...
An international search has been launched to find architects and
developers capable of creating a £22 million sustainable
student village in the city.
The University of Bradford is inviting construction professionals to make bids and play a lead role in the pioneering project.
The scheme will see high-quality accommodation for 500 students built using sustainable materials. Current halls of residence on Great Horton Road, Shearbridge Road and Longside Lane will be demolished to make way for the new builds.
It is hoped the development, which will provide a 21st century version of traditional terraced housing, will be used by undergraduates from the beginning of the 2008 academic year.
Clive Wilson, director of estates at the University of Bradford, said: "Traditionally in shared student flats or halls of residence, all you're renting is what's behind your bedroom door. Everything else is a communal space that is not owned by the students and leads to little community engagement for the students living in the block.
"Our vision is to have small numbers of students taking ownership of a whole house and allowing them the opportunity to be responsible for all of it - including its energy consumption, waste recycling and the neighbourhood as a whole.
"We hope this will, to a degree, encourage a sense of social responsibility and, because of the design and layout, allow students to be more neighbourly."
The plans are in contrast to much of the university's current low-cost student accommodation, consisting of blocks of shared flats which are often environmentally costly.
The Sustainable Student Village is a flagship development in the university's Ecoversity project, which aims to make its campus a unique model of sustainable development.
Mr Wilson said the university was keen to explore the latest sustainable building and construction techniques and the village could include such green ideas as: l renewable energy generation incorporating biomass, wind and solar techniques, triple glazing, super insulation and natural ventilation l hot water from the university's combined heat and power generators l use of natural resources in construction, such as timber framing, with preference given to natural, reclaimed, recycled and pollution-free materials and furnishings l the harvest of rainwater from roofs for flushing of low-volume toilets.
While the student village will be built to 21st century standards, university bosses hope it will pay tribute to the city's traditional architecture.
Mr Wilson added: "We're building a village of terraced housing, similar to the terraces that were knocked down around 40 years ago to make way for the university's current estate.
"However, we're not going to be making these out of stone. We'll be adopting new technologies to fulfil an even older ethos of utilising natural materials to help make properties energy efficient by keeping them cool in summer and warm in winter.
"You got the same effect with houses that were built this way hundreds of years ago."
The university has announced a £200 million investment plan to refurbish and modernise its 1960s estate with projects spanning the next ten years.
The Ecoversity project will bring together this programme with objectives to create social well-being, a thriving economy and education for all.
It is hoped the design of the new student homes will be unique to the higher education sector and provide a model of best practice for institutions throughout the world.
It is hoped that a preferred bidder for the design competition will be selected by the spring of 2007.
The venture will be funded through the university and a developer, or by the university taking out a loan.
e-mail: [email protected]
For more information about the University of Bradford’s Ecoversity project visit: https://www.bradford.ac.uk/ecoversity
The University of Bradford is inviting construction professionals to make bids and play a lead role in the pioneering project.
The scheme will see high-quality accommodation for 500 students built using sustainable materials. Current halls of residence on Great Horton Road, Shearbridge Road and Longside Lane will be demolished to make way for the new builds.
It is hoped the development, which will provide a 21st century version of traditional terraced housing, will be used by undergraduates from the beginning of the 2008 academic year.
Clive Wilson, director of estates at the University of Bradford, said: "Traditionally in shared student flats or halls of residence, all you're renting is what's behind your bedroom door. Everything else is a communal space that is not owned by the students and leads to little community engagement for the students living in the block.
"Our vision is to have small numbers of students taking ownership of a whole house and allowing them the opportunity to be responsible for all of it - including its energy consumption, waste recycling and the neighbourhood as a whole.
"We hope this will, to a degree, encourage a sense of social responsibility and, because of the design and layout, allow students to be more neighbourly."
The plans are in contrast to much of the university's current low-cost student accommodation, consisting of blocks of shared flats which are often environmentally costly.
The Sustainable Student Village is a flagship development in the university's Ecoversity project, which aims to make its campus a unique model of sustainable development.
Mr Wilson said the university was keen to explore the latest sustainable building and construction techniques and the village could include such green ideas as: l renewable energy generation incorporating biomass, wind and solar techniques, triple glazing, super insulation and natural ventilation l hot water from the university's combined heat and power generators l use of natural resources in construction, such as timber framing, with preference given to natural, reclaimed, recycled and pollution-free materials and furnishings l the harvest of rainwater from roofs for flushing of low-volume toilets.
While the student village will be built to 21st century standards, university bosses hope it will pay tribute to the city's traditional architecture.
Mr Wilson added: "We're building a village of terraced housing, similar to the terraces that were knocked down around 40 years ago to make way for the university's current estate.
"However, we're not going to be making these out of stone. We'll be adopting new technologies to fulfil an even older ethos of utilising natural materials to help make properties energy efficient by keeping them cool in summer and warm in winter.
"You got the same effect with houses that were built this way hundreds of years ago."
The university has announced a £200 million investment plan to refurbish and modernise its 1960s estate with projects spanning the next ten years.
The Ecoversity project will bring together this programme with objectives to create social well-being, a thriving economy and education for all.
It is hoped the design of the new student homes will be unique to the higher education sector and provide a model of best practice for institutions throughout the world.
It is hoped that a preferred bidder for the design competition will be selected by the spring of 2007.
The venture will be funded through the university and a developer, or by the university taking out a loan.
e-mail: [email protected]
For more information about the University of Bradford’s Ecoversity project visit: https://www.bradford.ac.uk/ecoversity
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