The focus on sustainable construction management has been increasingly intense in recent years. The need to find new ways of creating a built environment that is sustainable and accommodates social, cultural and economic exchange is becoming pressing. In the UK a new development is leading the way into green construction with a student and residential accommodation project that is the world’s first mixed-use net carbon development. The project, located in Birmingham, is being promoted as one that will help pave the way for the UK’s green revolution where construction and the built environment is concerned.
A waterfront ecosystem
The new project – Curzon Wharf – will have a central Birmingham location, just a few minutes walk from what will be the new HS2 station. It will sit on a 993,046 sq ft site that is currently being occupied by 1960s industrial units. When the project has been completed these units will have been replaced with a mixed-use space that incorporates student and residential accommodation, as well as office, R&D and life science space, retail units and leisure space. Curzon Wharf is being championed as a waterfront ecosystem and a pioneering project, one that will place Birmingham at the forefront of smart and sustainable city development and create options for other UK cities looking to do the same.
Purpose built for life
The construction on the Curzon Wharf site has been described as a ‘new breed’ of student accommodation. It will not only create options for student and residential housing but will combine this with vast public spaces. The project has been designed by integrating many different factors that haven’t been the focus for construction projects in the past, including technology and the social and mental health learning opportunities that were created by the pandemic.
Transforming the wider area
Curzon Wharf has also been credited with signposting a route for transformational change in Birmingham, a net-zero development – one of the world’s first – and an opportunity to create a new dynamic in the city. The project will create 1,000 jobs at a time when economic activity is desperately needed in the wake of the impact of COVID-19 and the focus on life sciences will help to boost the city’s expertise in this area after the recent investment in a life sciences site at Selly Oak. It will also help to transform the wider Eastside area and the leader of Birmingham City Council has highlighted how the project demonstrates the city’s determination to tackle the climate crisis while also creating a wealth of local opportunities.
Curzon Wharf
The new project will feature “never before seen” student accommodation, which includes 732 student flats and 265 residential co-living units, as well as 498 residential units. There is a sizable built to rent element to the project, which will create a 53-storey high construction that will be Birmingham’s tallest building when the project is finished. In addition there will be 3,000 sq ft of retail space, over 15,000 sq ft of leisure space and 490m of new and improved walking and cycling routes.
The Curzon Wharf project is leading the way in green construction management in the UK – and creating a world first in mixed-use net carbon development. The hope is that many other cities around the UK will soon follow in its footsteps.
At RG Group we are currently active in a variety of residential projects. We would love to consult with you about construction management of your upcoming residential projects.
