State-of-the-art student accommodation wins Industry Choice Award

Longworth Building Services worked closely with FBM Architects and the main contractor Galliford Try to build this new student accommodation complex, which consisted of 893 dwellings for students, student village, social space, common rooms, bars, cinema, gym and learning spaces.

As the building was over 18 m high, the role of Longworth Building Services was under added scrutiny during the design and build phase with regard to details around windows, floor slabs and compartments, incorporation
of cavity barriers and how they worked in and around the cladding sub-frame and profiled rainscreen panels.

Given the height of the building, it was important to make sure that all insulation, brackets, rails and fire barriers were inspected prior to being covered up with the rainscreen panels. Hold points were created at the end of every phase of installation for each individual mast climber platform, enabling the supervisors and the main contractors’ representatives to inspect and sign off.

It was decided that mast climbers would be the best solution for accessing the building, so a method was developed to work alongside the window contractor for shared use of the mast climbers, which enabled the project to be completed on schedule.