The University of Bradford has been awarded first prize for Best Student Housing at the prestigious College and University Business Officers (CUBO) Awards, despite firm competition from other leading universities.
‘The Green’, a sustainable student village in the heart of the University’s main city campus, has transformed the student living experience, providing both a fantastic place to live and a unique example of sustainable building design.
Opened in 2011, ‘The Green’ is a purpose-built £40 million student village at the City Campus, putting students right at the heart of the University’s academic studies, student facilities, support services and social activities. Offering a safe and secure environment, the accommodation boasts a self-contained community of 6-storey apartments and 4-storey townhouses in a highly eco-sensitive design, built within attractive landscaped gardens as well as built-in barbeque sets, external seating and grassed areas.
The village is also the first student multi residential UIK building in the country to achieve the BREEAM accolade of ‘outstanding’. This award is assessed through an analysis of building design and operation and further cements its position for offering the highest possible standard of student accommodation.
The most sustainable development of its kind in the world, ‘The Green’ makes the most of natural resources like solar power and rainwater and costing very little to heat and light. The apartment and townhouse blocks are set around a central water feature - a biodiversity pond which reuses rain water, provides a home for a number of ducks birds and plant species and acts as a passive coolant in summer.
Chris Spargo, Head of Commercial Services at the University of Bradford said; “We are really proud of this award and everything it stands for.
“We set out a vision to deliver and operate one of, if not, the best quality, and most sustainable student residences in the sector. This award voted by our peers in the Higher and Further Education Sector demonstrates we have actually achieved that vision. The Best Student Housing accolade has been achieved through innovation, ongoing successful partnerships but more importantly with some fantastic work by our Accommodation and Facilities team who constantly exceed the residents’ expectations and contribute to the improvement in the wider student experience.”
James Cann, Chairman of 90 North Real Estate Partners, which recently advised a buyer of The Green said: “Many congratulations to the University on winning this award. In choosing the University of Bradford, students can stay in the best, ‘greenest’ student housing in the UK throughout their stay and at the end of their course will have attended a University with an enviable reputation for graduate employment."
Established to recognise outstanding commercial achievement within the higher academic sector, the annual CUBO awards celebrate excellence in the student living experience and are voted by leaders and decision makers of commercial services across the university sector.