UK university job for Bouygues

A contract worth £117 million (€138 million) for the design and building of student accommodation at a UK university has been awarded to the Uliving consortium, consisting of Bouygues Development – a subsidiary of Bouygues Construction – and Derwent Living, a group specialising in housing and facilities management services.

The contract is for the development of the campus of the University of Hertfordshire, north of London, and the consortium will operate it for 50 years.

Within the consortium, Bouygues Development will be responsible for the property development, financial and legal aspects of the project. It will consist of 23 buildings providing 3,000 student bedrooms, associated social spaces, and a campus gym. Design and construction will be undertaken by Bouygues UK, a subsidiary of Bouygues Construction.

It is planned that the University of Hertfordshire campus will be one of the most advanced in the UK in terms of sustainability. The timber-frame buildings will be equipped with their own energy-production infrastructure based on a power and heat cogeneration system. The aim is to achieve a true zero carbon accreditation and to meet BREEAM Outstanding requirements.

The work will take a total of three years, with the site remaining in full operation throughout the construction period. It will involve more than 200 people on site at peak periods. Particular care will be paid to minimising pollution such as noise and dust, to avoid disturbing the students who will be on the site.