01 / Introduction

British universities have needed to provide effective, affordable accommodation for their students for centuries. London’s Royal Holloway University, for example, still has dorm rooms in use that date back to the 1890s. 

Expectations of student housing have evolved over time. The levels of building safety, quality and amenities provided are now higher than they have ever been. Crucially, whatever the building age and design, sustainability and decarbonisation are now priorities.

This article will focus on a cost model for a student accommodation project designed to Passivhaus standards. Our hypothetical project is based on a new purpose-built managed student accommodation development (PBMSA) scheme of 16,300m2 GIA with 485 bedrooms in a regional UK location built to Passivhaus Classic standard.

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