Keele University Student Accommodation Staffordshire County Council

£22M Contract Value
70 Duration (weeks)

Seddon have worked in partnership with Keele University over the last 7 years and as part of a rolling refurbishment programme partnership to upgrade and provide new student accommodation. This included two new student accommodation blocks compromised of 133 en-suite bedrooms with kitchen and dining room facilities.

Seddon worked with Keele University and Stride Treglown Architects on the submission of a planning application to provide 453 student beds in two blocks and commenced on-site during June 2016.

Our relationship with Keele University began a decade ago and the history of our current scheme with them began some five years ago.

It is the University’s vision to create an attractive and accessible development with a clear sense of place. The planned scheme saw apartments arranged in six and eight-bed clusters, constructed using insulated pre-cast concrete wall panels.

The project was delivered using 3D design coordination with architectural, structural engineering and building services design all integrated through the BIM process. The insulated pre-cast concrete wall panels arrived to site in sections where they were erected into cellular apartments comprising internal and external walls. 

The internal structural walls support the pre-cast panels for the upper floors. All wall panels are supplied in a ready to decorate state and fixed in position using a cast in Halfen tie system, which is joined using standard reinforcing bars and permanently fixed using no-shrink grout.

Seddon’s Health and Safety SHEQ team worked closely with the University’s Health and Safety team in order to keep accidents to a minimum. This close relationship also allowed Seddon’s team to have interaction with the on-site Nursery where they conducted Health & Safety talks, and colouring competitions with the children, a Christmas hamper was also provided for their raffle.

Over the years Seddon has managed to construct & refurbish a number of buildings minimising disruption to students throughout, this project was no exception delivering on time and within budget.

FLEXIBILITY HAS BEEN ONE OF SEDDON’S REAL STRONG POINTS, AS THEY HAVE ADAPTED PLANS AS THE PROJECTS HAS DEVELOPED. A PARTNERSHIP APPROACH WITH SEDDON HAS CERTAINLY PROVED TO BE THE BEST WAY OF DELIVERING OUR OBJECTIVES - CREATING AN ATTRACTIVE ENVIRONMENT FOR STUDENTS THAT THEY WANT TO LIVE IN.
MIKE LEECH - HEAD OF ESTATES.