Project Overview

We have constructed a brand new 117 studio bed student accommodation scheme for Crosslane on Woodhouse Square, Leeds. It’s been a fantastic project delivered on time; Senior Project Manager Marcus Smithies and the team reduced the programme by 3 weeks to ensure the building was delivered on time for student intake.

The new build offers 117 studio bed student apartments in the heart of Leeds City Centre, with great access to local amenities and university campus.

The project saw us construct a new student accommodation development for Crosslane and Prime Student Living.

The scheme has been designed by Architects Day Architecture and built with a combination of traditional brickwork, dorma windows and a mansard roof. The development also houses a generous indoor and outdoor communal area, accommodating table tennis, pool facilities, gym, social spaces, cycle storage and group kitchens.

A key design change of the building was the reconfiguration of the ground floor communal hub. We also changed the external hard landscaping and introduced ramps for disability access.

Added value
In line with Torsion’s commitment to achieving Design to budget of all its projects on-time, this scheme was signed off with zero reportable accidents, zero environmental incidents and zero defects.

One of the stipulations issued by Leeds Council was to increase the betterment of the thermal performance on the building. We achieved this by installing higher specification insulation and increasing the size of the CHP unit, which will ultimately reduce electricity bills.

We faced a number of challenges on this scheme which threatened to cause major delays to the build. The project team led by Senior Project Manager Marcus Smithies ensured that any issues/delays were quickly resolved and brought back on programme. Challenges such as;

• Short programme
• A very tight and constrained site
• Bad weather

Sustainability
Vast material excavated onsite was crushed and reused on-site. Our comprehensive waste management plan meant that overall, we were able to divert 94.2% of site waste from landfill.

To keep the local community up to date on the scheme, we issued newsletters and regular updates via our social media platforms. Litter picking was carried out on a routine basis around the site to keep the surrounding area clean and tidy.

Site access was restricted in the surrounding residential area. We made every effort to reduce congestion and disruption to the local community. We encouraged the project team to travel together to the site, park considerately and where possible utilise public transport.

A sizeable percentage of materials and workforce required to deliver this scheme were procured locally, either directly or via sub-contractors, with 70% of the workforce based within a 30-mile radius.

We developed a social impact plan for the scheme, to help drive employment and training opportunities for local people. This included 12 temporary jobs created during the duration of the build and two labourers who were offered full time employment.