Balfour Beatty has secured a £24 million project to build new accommodation for Campus Living Villages for over 400 students of the world-famous Royal College of Music in London.
The accommodation on Goldhawk Road in Shepherd’s Bush will the replace the existing facilities, which Balfour Beatty will also demolish, and will feature 417 new bedrooms, two self-contained flats and amenities including a gym, laundry, cinema and music practice rooms.
The bedrooms will have state-of-the-art acoustic features to enable music students to practice without disturbing others, as well as an open plan central amenity space which breaks out onto external courtyards and an informal performance space.
High sustainability standards form a key part of the programme, with the building designed to be BREEAM ‘Excellent’, the industry’s leading measure of buildings which minimise their impact on the environment. Measures include reducing carbon use by 40% in comparison to pre-2010 London construction standards, and energy and efficiency measures such as roof mounted photo-voltaic arrays, LED lighting and on-demand heating systems for individual bedrooms.
Balfour Beatty has extensive experience of delivering student accommodation and is currently working on several student accommodation projects in the UK including the Holyrood Postgraduate Student Accommodation and Outreach Centre for the University of Edinburgh and 199 Westminster Bridge Road for Urbanest.
Andy Bowler, Balfour Beatty Managing Director for London New Build, said: “Balfour Beatty has a strong record of delivering student accommodation and this will be a scheme of a very high standard that will facilitate the learning and development of future musical performers.
“We are delighted to have been chosen to carry out this scheme for the Royal School of Music which we will complete in just one year and which will feature some of the latest environmental features.”
The project will be delivered in just one year, minimising disruption to study and teaching at the college, with completion in September 2015.