The UK’s purpose built student accommodation sector now runs to around 600,000 rooms, and it has matured into a market where students and their parents expect excellent quality accommodation. With the increase in supply of PBSA spaces these customers have high expectations.
Kimpton has been designing and installing mechanical, electrical and plumbing services since 1963, and student accommodation has been a constant through that time, on new-build towers and on the refurbishment of older stock alike. Our scope typically covers heating and hot water plant, ventilation, water and drainage, fire protection, and the electrical, data and access systems a modern scheme needs, delivered as one coordinated package rather than separate trades.
That experience sits behind almost to 16,000 student beds across more than 30 schemes, from the 1,200-bed Grand Central in Liverpool and nearly 1,000 beds at Hollis Croft, Sheffield, to 600 beds at Carlton Hill, Leeds, and the 784-bed Àrd in Glasgow, currently on site and set to become Scotland’s tallest residential tower. Much of that work has come through long-standing relationships with developers such as Watkin Jones, built up over more than a decade of repeat schemes across the UK.
That increasing competition and the drive for differentiation in the market is pushing operators towards smarter building services rather than bigger budgets: air source heat pumps and electric panel heaters replacing ageing gas and CHP plant, because the running-cost savings can outweigh the capital spend within a few years. Regulation is adding urgency too, with EPC C required by 2027 and B by 2030, which means a good deal of the sector’s older plant rooms need modernising well before they’d otherwise be due.
New build residential is one side to the business, but there’s also a growing demand for the refurbishment of the existing stock to make them more attractive for renters.
On refurbishment work, that increasingly means swapping CHP systems and gas boilers for heat pump systems, replacing end-of-life pod bathrooms, and doing it all without disrupting a building full of tenants.
If you’re planning a new PBSA scheme or need to refurbish an existing one, we’d like to talk about it. Call the Kimpton team on 0151 343 1963 or email website@kimpton.co.uk.
Client: GMI Construction Project: Carlton Hill PBSA Scheme Project Value: £2.75m Project Scope: Mechanical Services Installation Overview Kimpton are on site with
Client: Watkin Jones Group Location: Glasgow Project: Mechanical Package for 784 Bed PBSA Scheme Value: £6.2m The Project Kimpton has been appointed
If you would like to discuss any of our services, please call 0151 343 1963 or complete the form below and we will be in touch shortly.
