Approved plans for The Árd to become Scotland’s tallest accommodation building and address the growing number of full-time students.
A new student accommodation mega-block has been approved by Glasgow City Council and is set to begin construction. ‘The Árd’, a purpose built student accommodation building, is expected to tower 36 stories above the Glasgow skyline, making it the second tallest building in Glasgow.
The Árd aims to combat Glasgow city’s severe shortage of student accommodation by providing housing for 784 students. Research conducted by Savills highlighted the disparity between the number of students and available accommodation in different cities. The report determined that an additional 22,000 beds are needed in Glasgow.
Residential Research Analyst Corranne Wheeler found that Glasgow has the highest student to bed ratio, at 3.8. As of April 2024, Glasgow also possesses the “largest imbalance between supply and demand amongst other UK cities.”
UK developers, Watkins Jones Group PLC, acknowledge real estate consultancy Knight Frank Research’s findings, which detail the rapid increase of full-time students in Glasgow city, alongside the insufficient increase of PBSA beds. Although plans for The Árd will not solve such an imbalance of supply and demand overnight, the development is a step towards ensuring a controlled student-to-bed ratio.
With aims to ease student housing demands, the developers of The Árd have stated that they will not ignore the environmental demands of such an ambitious construction. A spokesperson for Watkins Jones Group told The BBC, “The development will be designed to the highest environmental standards.”
In order to reduce the construction’s carbon footprint, the accommodation will partially preserve the existing concrete frame of the Portcullis House, which would otherwise have been demolished. Watkins Jones Group estimates that this will save “900 tonnes of embodied carbon.”
Plans additionally outline low-energy lighting, systems to harvest rainwater, and energy efficient lift services to reduce carbon emissions. The development will provide further sustainability by following a space heating target <15 kWh/m2.yr, as recommended by the LETI Climate Emergency Design Guide.
The construction also includes a second 10 storey building for the Glasgow Social Enterprise Network (GSEN) to provide opportunities and support for both students and graduates.
Watkins Jones Group have previously completed student home projects, such as Eleanor Rosa House in London, and Bridge Street Exchange in Cardiff, and constructed accommodation providing an additional 504 beds in Dunaskin Mill, Glasgow.
