The Leicester architects behind a landmark development in the city’s West End hope it will usher in a new era of high quality student accommodation and free up housing for local people.
This month (September), Maber officially hands over The Summit in Eastern Boulevard to its client, Megaclose, a local student accommodation provider. The £15 million, 13,000-square-metre project, including a spectacular elliptical tower, will house 369 students, mostly in one-person studio apartments. Maber says demand for the apartments has been exceptional with the entire development fully let ahead of schedule.
Fergus Lowe, Associate Director at Maber, said: “The Summit has been very well built, and the end result is impressive. The accommodation is top of the market, and our hope is that it will herald a better kind of student accommodation, leading eventually to students vacating local housing stock, which could be freed up for first-time buyers and families.”
With its 22-storey tower forming a new landmark at the western gateway to the city, the development has naturally attracted attention from city dwellers. The site also comprises two lower blocks, one four storey and the other two-storey, designed to fit in with neighbouring Victorian buildings. Together, they form one of the largest purpose-built student residences in Leicestershire and can lay claim to being the most spectacular.
Mr Lowe said: “The design of the tower addresses the large scale of the site at a main access junction on the river embankment. Gateways like these are very important in demonstrating the city’s ambition.
“The tower has been designed to create a focal point at the entrance to the university quarter and the more urban centre to Leicester. Its distinctive elliptical shape and sleek appearance echo the design of the National Space Centre and Highcross.”
Mr Lowe said completion of the project represented the end of six years of hard work and negotiations. Maber worked closely with Leicester City Council planners and councillors to develop designs to match their vision for the area and the city as a whole.
Paul Thrower, Development Director at Megaclose, said: “This is the biggest project we have ever been involved in as the developer. Maber have been invaluable in helping us to navigate the planning process and together we have created exceptional student accommodation of the highest quality.”
Mike Dunn, Regional Director at contractors Tolent, said: “We are proud to have been involved in creating an exciting contemporary development that will be a new city landmark.”
Maber has worked on a string of student and other residential developments in the East Midlands, winning numerous awards and accolades, including a Royal Institute of British Architects commendation for its Arena Apartments in Nottingham.
It was the architect responsible for Queen’s Court, Leicester, the extension and conversion of former student halls of residence into student cluster-flats.
Maber, which also has offices in London, Nottingham and Derby, has been working with Megaclose since 2005.