Twerton Mill
Winner
South West Regeneration
RICS Awards 2016
Rich industrial heritage with a contemporary twist
Located on a brownfield site on a main commuter route, this 330 bed student living scheme represents an important gateway into Bath and is ideally situated to accommodate students from both Bath Spa University and the University of Bath.
Bounded to the north by the river Avon and to the west and east by listed buildings and structures, the proposals draw upon the rich industrial heritage of the site.
McLaren Property and Stride Treglown worked closely with the local authority to ensure that the proposals reflect the historic importance of the site.
Accommodation is provided in a variety of formats – cluster flats, studio flats and town houses, ensuring the best possible selection for potential undergraduate, postgraduate, domestic and international student occupants. Generous communal facilities have been provided both internally and externally ensuring that this development represents the best private student accommodation in Bath.
The majority of accommodation is en-suite. These ensuite rooms were installed as modularised GRP pods, complete with all sanitaryware, brassware and lighting. They arrive onsite and are effectively plugged in and externally lined. The choice to use pods is not purely driven by programme. Due to their production in a controlled factory environment, the en-suites are easy to maintain and are less prone to leaks.
We also opted to construct the scheme using PAWs Sigmet, a structural framing solution. This is a pre-panelised system which arrived onsite in sections complete with external boarding and insulation. This dramatically reduced the programme with one floor of a typical block being completed every week.
Many offsite systems require a lot of upfront coordination. It’s vital to factor this in to realise the programme benefits onsite.
Stride Treglown have succeeded in meeting the challenge of a demanding brief on a site of great sensitivity to deliver a design for a high quality scheme setting a new benchmark for accommodation in the City of Bath and we look forward to working with the team on future projects.
Stuart Black, Development Manager of McLaren Property