Birmingham Dogpool Lane student residence, Pershore Junction Alumno West Midlands homes, Stirchley building mages
Dogpool Lane Birmingham student housing
post updated 14 October 2023
Alumno celebrates topping out of Birmingham student residence, Selly Park South
Design: Glenn Howells Architects
Pershore Junction Birmingham building:
image courtesy of Alumno Group
Pershore Junction Birmingham student development News
A landmark stage was reached recently in the construction of Birmingham’s new purpose-built student accommodation project Pershore Junction with the topping out of the building. Developer Alumno celebrated the achievement with a special event held on site attended by a number of key stakeholders, including senior members of contactor GMI Construction Group.
Regenerating a former BT brownfield site within the established Selly Oak community, Pershore Junction will accommodate the growing number of students attending local universities and the city’s dental hospital, taking pressure off private housing in the area. The development will comprise a mix of cluster beds and single occupancy studio rooms for 167 residents, together with a reception and communal areas.
The £24 million scheme funded by Woh Hup will also provide an improved retail space for the site’s original Post Office and newsagent outlet, which has been relocated close by during construction. The local community will also benefit from an enhanced public area in front of the building, which will include landscaping, seating and cycle stands.
Designed by Howells, the new development will comprise brickwork and terracotta detailing, which references local materials, while providing a modern identity for the building. “The elegantly crafted red brick/terracotta design responds to several key local landmarks, including the red brick Selly Park Church and Dogpool Lane Hotel,” explained Dav Bansal, Partner at Howells, which designed the development. “The project also reinstates a piece of under-utilised green space as a matured setting for the building for both students and the local community to enjoy. It will provide a much needed and sustainable home to embed students in the wider community, but also a catalyst for regenerating this local neighbourhood.”
Celebrating the topping out of Pershore Junction PBSA in Birmingham:
Pictured left to right: Jack Carey, Project Manager, GMI; Jonathan Walsh, Construction Director, GMI; Richard Leedham, National Development Manager, Homes for Students; David Campbell, MD, Alumno; David Lindsay, Associate Director, Development Manager, Alumno; James Abbott, MEP Project Manager, Alumno; Jonny Darbishire, Senior Development Manager, Alumno; Michael Chisholm, Development Manager, Alumno; Rebecca Dean, Office Manager, Alumno
Commenting on the project, Alumno Managing Director David Campbell said: “It’s great to be celebrating the topping out of another exciting project. Our development will improve the local area visually, provide an economic boost to local businesses, and deliver much needed accommodation for Birmingham’s growing student population. As with all our developments, we have worked closely with the surrounding community and local authority to ensure the scheme enhances this vibrant area.”
Delighted with the progress made to date, Gareth Jones, GMI’s Joint Divisional Managing Director, commented: “We are proud to have hit this major milestone on Pershore Junction, which will help to meet the growing demand for student accommodation in Birmingham. It also strengthens GMI’s credentials in the construction of multi-occupancy developments, particularly in the student accommodation sector, which is reflected by our continuing close relationship with Alumno.”
Phil Johnson, Head of UK investments for Woh Hup, added: “We are delighted with the partnership with Alumno, GMI and the wider project team. We appreciate all the hard work undertaken to date by the team and are looking forward to opening the scheme for academic year 2024.”
Previously on e-architect:
post updated 7 February 2023
Work begins on £24m Birmingham student development, Selly Park South
Architect: Glenn Howells Architects
Dogpool Lane Birmingham student development News
The construction phase of a new £24 million purpose-built managed student accommodation project on Dogpool Lane in Birmingham began recently, marked with a special event. Senior teams from building contractor GMI Construction Group and developer Alumno Group were present at the ceremony.
Regenerating a former BT brownfield site within the established Stirchley community, the development will accommodate the growing number of students attending local universities and the city’s dental hospital, taking pressure off private housing in the area. Funded by Woh Hup, the building will comprise a mix of cluster beds and single occupancy studio rooms for 167 residents, together with a reception and communal areas.
Community benefits
The scheme will also provide an improved retail space for the site’s original Post Office and newsagent outlet, which has been relocated close by during construction. The local community will also benefit from an enhanced public area in front of the building, which will include landscaping, seating and cycle stands.
Promoting a cleaner local environment, the development will be car free, with students prohibited from bringing vehicles to Birmingham through their tenancy agreements. Student residents will benefit from easy access to public transport, with the development close to bus, rail and cycle networks, as well as being within walking distance of local university campuses.
Local references
Designed by Glenn Howells Architects, the new building will comprise brickwork and terracotta detailing, which references local materials, while also providing a new identity for the building.
“The elegantly crafted red brick/terracotta design of Dogpool Lane responds to several key local landmarks, including the red brick Selly Park Church and Dogpool Lane Hotel,” explained Dav Bansal, Partner at Glenn Howells Architects, which designed the development. “The project also reinstates a piece of under-utilised green space as a matured setting for the building for both students and the local community to enjoy. It will provide a much needed and sustainable home to embed students in the wider community, but also a catalyst for regenerating this local neighbourhood.”
Economic boost
Commenting on the project, Alumno Managing Director David Campbell said: “It’s great to be celebrating the start of work on another exciting project. Our development will improve the local area visually, provide an economic boost to local businesses, and deliver much needed accommodation for Birmingham’s growing student population,” “As with all our developments, we have worked closely with the surrounding community and local authority to ensure the scheme enhances this vibrant area.”
Delighted to be collaborating with Alumno again, Gareth Jones, GMI’s Joint Divisional Managing Director, said: “This is the third project we have undertaken in collaboration with Alumno, having last year completed the Church Inn development in Manchester, as well as working alongside them on the Whitelock Street scheme in Leeds. “We’re proud to add another project to our growing portfolio in conjunction with Alumno, and it is a development which underlines our versatility in constructing a wide range of builds.”
Alumno and GMI plan to have the new building completed in time for the 2024 student intake.
Previously on e-architect:
30 Apr 2021
Dogpool Lane Birmingham student residence building
Design: Glenn Howells Architects
Location: West Midlands, England
Birmingham student residence gains planning permission
Alumno has been given the green light to develop purpose-built managed student accommodation on Dogpool Lane in Birmingham. Planning permission has been granted by the local council for the £24 million project, which will redevelop a currently underused former BT brownfield site within the established Stirchley community.
The new 24-hour managed residence will accommodate the growing number of students attending local universities and the city’s dental hospital, taking pressure off private housing in the area. It will comprise a mix of cluster beds and single occupancy studio rooms for 167 residents, together with a reception and communal areas.
This space will feature public art to be created through an initiative led by Birmingham Poet Laureate Casey Bailey in partnership with the Ikon Gallery, Writing West Midlands and pupils of the neighbouring Selly Park Girls School.
“I’m delighted that we have been granted planning permission to develop this site on Dogpool Road, which will improve the local area visually, provide an economic boost to local businesses, and deliver much needed accommodation for Birmingham’s growing student population,” said Alumno Managing Director David Campbell. “As with all our developments, we have worked closely with the surrounding community and local authority to ensure the scheme enhances this vibrant area.”
Commenting on the design of the building, Dav Bansal, Partner at Glenn Howells Architects, said: “The elegantly crafted red brick/terracotta design of Dogpool Lane responds to several key local landmarks, including the red brick Selly Park Church and Dogpool Lane Hotel. Once completed, it will provide students with an attractive place to live, study and socialise in a healthy and sustainable environment. The project also reinstates a piece of under-utilised green space as a matured setting for the building for both students and the local community to enjoy.
“The scheme has been a culmination of the many lessons learnt and experiences working with our long-standing client Alumno, and we believe this will not only provide a much needed and sustainable home to embed students in the wider community, but also a catalyst for regenerating this local neighbourhood.”
Alumno plans to have the new building completed for the 2023 student intake.
About Alumno
Alumno, established in 2006, partners with universities, colleges and other stakeholders to provide high quality living space for over 7,000 students to date across the UK, including London, Birmingham, Norwich, Glasgow, Durham and St Andrews.
Alumno delivers distinct and sensitive designs, carefully engaging with local residents to integrate its developments for the benefit of the existing community. Its schemes introduce a mix of other uses alongside the student accommodation.
www.alumnogroup.com
Dogpool Lane Birmingham student residence images / information received 290421
Location: Dogpool Lane, Birmingham, West Midlands, England, UK
Birmingham Architecture
Birmingham Architecture Designs – chronological list
Martineau Galleries Development
Design: Glenn Howells Architects ; Landscape Architects: Grant Associates
image courtesy of architects
Martineau Galleries Birmingham Development
i9 Office Building, Wolverhampton, West Midlands
Design: Glenn Howells Architects
image from architect
i9 Office Building in Wolverhampton
The Rotunda Conversion
Design: Glenn Howells Architects
Birmingham landmark
Contemporary Architecture in Birmingham – architectural selection below:
Birmingham Library
Design: Mecanoo
picture from architect
Birmingham Library Building
University of Birmingham Sport and Fitness Centre
photo : Paul Riddle
University of Birmingham Sport and Fitness Centre Building
Selfridges Birmingham
Design: Future Systems Architects
Selfridges Birmingham
Birmingham Architectural Tours : city walks by e-architect
Comments / photos for the Dogpool Lane Birmingham student residence Architecture page welcome
