Construction begins on new £185m student development in Stratford, London

Unite Students, the UK’s largest provider of student accommodation, has begun the construction phase of its new £185m property in Stratford, London.

Hawthorne House is being built in Farthingale Walk, Stratford, and is replacing the former office block Jubilee House, which has now been demolished. It will open in time for the 2026/27 academic year.

The 36-storey property includes a 65,000 sq ft sixth-form academy, the London Academy of Excellence, over eight floors, which will be in place for an initial 35-year term.

Unite Students is using a ‘fabric first’ approach, which means the design of the building optimises the materials being used in its construction to give better energy efficiency, such as maximising air tightness and solar gain.

The development’s embodied carbon saving is 9,770 tCO2e (tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent) over 60 years, which exceeds the RIBA (Royal Institute of British Architects) 2030 Climate Challenge baseline. These are voluntary performance targets for operational energy use, water use and embodied carbon.

London, which is home to over 300,000 students, hosts three of the world’s top 25 universities. Unite Students is the capital’s largest student accommodation operator and is committed to adding more beds. Unite Students acquired the Farthingale Walk site earlier this year for £73m. RG Group has been awarded the build contract.

Tom Brewerton, Group Development Director at Unite Students, commented: “Unite Students is leading the purpose-built student accommodation sector in London and Hawthorne House will be a unique offering in the capital.

“Our rental offer remains very competitive when compared to alternative forms of student accommodation and we are confident our fixed-price, all-inclusive rent provides real value-for-money for our customers.

“Hawthorne House will offer high quality bedrooms, social and study areas, and will be home to a sixth form academy. It shows Unite Students’ commitment to deliver high quality student accommodation using sustainable methods. We look forward to furthering our relationship with both University of the Arts London and the London Academy of Excellence.”

By Matthew Neville – Senior Correspondent, Bdaily

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