Clive Booth Student Accommodation

The Challenge

The Clive Booth Student Accommodation project has transformed the living and learning experience for students studying at the Oxford Brookes University. In total, the new learning village includes four Purpose Built Student Accommodation blocks, with each block comprising of, 8-10 bedrooms, a shared kitchen, vinyl flooring, extensive storage and open communal areas. Overall, 342 bedrooms have been provided, with each room fit out with double beds.

The purpose of the Clive Booth project included updating a large number of the buildings on the site, which were 30 years old and were no longer fit for purpose. Through a collaborative effort between Morgan Sindall, consultants and our supply chain, we were required to provide a high quality student accommodation to meet moder standards for students.

As the village is located next to the University’s Headington campus and is a short walk from the city centre, the aspiration was that the new accommodation would help manage local housing demands by reducing the number of students living in private rented accommodation. The key challenges the site team faced throughout the project was, ensuring the building handed over on time, whilst managing the safety of all affected parties due to working in a live environment.

The Solution

Maintaining the safety and welfare of the public and students whilst on site was paramount to the project. Firstly, we ensured frequent communication with all affected parties, which included detailed newsletters of important dates, milestones and other important news.

The topography and congestion of the site further complicated the project, presenting a challenge for plants to safely manoeuvre around. It was proposed during the infancy of the project to opt for cranes on site. This was an important feature of the project as this posed far less safety risks, in comparison to the use of forklifts. Initially, there was to be 5 cranes on site for each block, however, as one block was omitted from the scope of works, 4 cranes were on site.

Our team also had to carefully manage a challenging programme. Our team agreed contract principles within the pre-construction agreement (PCSA), which allowed us to get on site quicker and complete a substantial amount of works in that time. By also agreeing early enabling works packages for our sub-contractors, the project overcame challenges with long lead items which, again, safeguarded the programme.

The Results

Successfully led the design and construction delivery of the flagship Clive Booth Student Village redevelopment, helping transform Oxford Brookes University’s student accommodation offer through the creation of a modern, sustainable and high-quality residential environment. The redevelopment forms part of the University’s long-term estate strategy and ultimately delivers approximately 1,350 student rooms across a 35,000m² masterplan, significantly increasing accommodation capacity within the university estate.

Directed multidisciplinary design teams through complex planning, technical coordination and construction stages, ensuring architectural, landscape, structural and MEP solutions were fully integrated within a challenging woodland hillside setting. The design successfully introduced twelve new accommodation buildings, carefully embedded into the natural topography while preserving the character of the site and creating a strong sense of community and wellbeing.

Led the first phase delivery of 342 high-quality en-suite bedrooms, achieving programme milestones and enabling occupation for the academic year. Construction performance delivered exceptional outcomes, including 98 local jobs created, 5,593 apprenticeship weeks generated, 94.8% of waste diverted from landfill, and over 192 tonnes of carbon savings through innovative construction techniques and low-carbon delivery approaches.

Implemented a collaborative working environment between the University, consultants, contractors and local stakeholders, ensuring efficient decision-making and effective management of operational interfaces. The development directly supports Oxford Brookes University’s commitment to reducing pressure on Oxford’s private housing market by increasing university-managed accommodation provision and helping meet local planning requirements.

Championed sustainability, future operational performance and whole-life value, supporting the University’s carbon reduction ambitions through energy-efficient design principles and the planned integration of geo-exchange heating technology.

The redevelopment has been recognised externally, being shortlisted for the Education Property Awards Student Accommodation Project of the Year, demonstrating excellence in design quality, construction delivery, sustainability and student experience. The project now stands as a benchmark for higher education accommodation delivery and a key enabler of Oxford Brookes University’s long-term campus vision.

Contractor Performance | Commitments

Legacy

75% No of SMEs and 98 local jobs created contributing £3,419,808 in social value. 46 work experience weeks, generating £8,947 in social value.

5,001 students participated in engagement activities, contributing 232 hours.

£22,512 donations to charity, 5 volunteer hours. £2.63 LM3

Delivered Social & Local Economic Value: £178,464,192 achieved, with a 158.9% return on investment in social and economic terms.

Social Value initiatives:

The site team hosted a number of site tours for students throughout the project; this included students from Orion Academy, a project we completed in 2022. Due to COVID-19 restrictions, our project team were unable provide a site tour for the students during the Orion Academy project. We therefore invited them to visit the Clive Booth project, and witness construction first hand. They were also tasked with completing a construction exercise by building a bridge.

Engaged with over 5001 students throughout the project, ranging from career fairs to school visits. The project team attended a special event over at Greyfriars Catholic School in Oxford, which aimed to inspire the year 8’s and broaden their understanding of the diverse and exciting careers within the construction industry. The experience was designed to broaden the students’ knowledge and experience about the industry and where their careers in future can take them.

Sustainability

8% waste diverted from landfill

Over 192.4T of carbon saved

Using GIATEC Concrete sensors, which saved 23T of carbon (part of the overall 192.4T saved)

Gold Standard: Achieved in Air Quality and Water Reduction Plans, showcasing environmental responsibility.

The project team explored ways with our supply chain regarding how we could reduce the carbon output on the project; the team collaborated with concrete sensor specialists GIATEC Smartrock. GIATEC Smartrock produce concrete sensors, which are cast into the concrete slabs which measure the temperature and strength of the concrete. Via the use of a mobile app, the team could ascertain live information about whether the concrete has or hasn’t cured.

Aftercare

Weekly meetings with the client as part of the handover process; this included completing a handover tracker.

Handover tracker detailed all the relevant certificates, testing and inspections that MS carried out

8 month aftercare period

Dedicated Morgan Sindall point of contact

Safe

Zero RIDDORs, CCS Score of 45/45 and the project team achieved a CCS silver award

Fair

100% payment within 30 days terms

Clive Booth Student Accommodation

Client

Oxford Brookes University

Contractor

Value

£70m

Completion Date

August 2024

The Challenge

The Solution

The Results

Apprentices

SME Spend

Added Value

Client Satisfaction

of carbon saved