Unsworth Park Student Accommodation - Kingspan Steel Building Solution

Sector: Residential
Location: Manchester, UK
Main Contractor: Vinci Construction
Steel Building: KingBuild System (KBS)
Building Owner: University of Manchester

The University of Manchester is redefining the student experience with its new accommodation development constructed using the Kingspan KingBuild Light Gauge Steel Frame System.

Situated on a previously undeveloped area of the site, the first phase of the University's Residential Strategy at its Fallowfield Campus has been designed to foster a sense of place for students from all backgrounds. Comprising 1,122 bedrooms across eight blocks, together with an energy centre and student amenity hub, the new Unsworth Park development will act as a replacement for existing accommodation. Therefore, it is essential that the buildings are delivered to schedule and are ready for occupation by September 2019, without compromising on quality or cost-efficiency. For the initial stage, this requires the construction of some 27,000m2 of accommodation alone.

Redevelopment of the Campus

The project team were keen to minimise disruption on the local community by reducing site traffic and maintaining a carefully-scheduled build programme. For these reasons, the KingBuild System (KBS) was chosen to form the structural frame and shell of the buildings. The system's light-gauge steel sections and components are constructed within factory conditions and transported to site in sub-assembly panels.

This offsite construction approach allowed Kingspan Steel Building Solutions to easily accommodate bespoke design features. These included oriel bay window frames which were designed and manufactured in cold rolled steel, adding interest and distinction to the buildings without increasing the complexity of the build programme.

Design Support

Kingspan Steel Building Solutions oversaw the design, manufacture and installations of the KBS, which included composite metaldecks, concrete floors, joisted cassette roofs, pre-cast concrete stairs and timber trussed roofs. All of these elements were carefully designed using 3D BIM models of the proposed structures, detailing all sections and connections in accordance with our SCI certified system. This allowed potential clashes it be identified and addressed. Once approved by the project team, the models were used to create the CNC data for our rolling mills to manufacture the structures to the project's specifications and ensuring extremely accurate production, thus allowing them to integrate seamlessly once delivered to site and installed as per the defined build programme.