A HIGHBRIDGE business has been awarded its second student living contract at the University of the West of England (UWE)'s Frenchay campus in Bristol.

Offsite Solutions will undertake the £1.7m project to manufacture 757 bathroom pods for VINCI Building.

Offsite Solutions offers the UK’s largest range of pods to suit many different building types and applications.

Options include steel-framed bathroom pods with porcelain-tiled finishes for high-end apartments, PRS, student residences and hotels.

The company has also developed steel-framed utility pods for apartments or studios for build-to-rent or build-to-sell developments.

Offsite Solutions has delivered 16 pod projects for VINCI Building to date which includes major student accommodation schemes for universities in Swansea, Cardiff, Coventry and Liverpool.

This latest project is for the UWE. The architects are Stride Treglown.

The project is highly sustainable, and is one of the largest Passivhaus projects in the UK.

It is designed to provide the students with high level of comfort with the minimal use of energy for heating and cooling, in accordance with environmental regulations of UWE Bristol and VINCI Building.

This brings a 50 per cent reduction in running costs and carbon emissions, which is a part of a certified low carbon strategy.

James Stephens, Managing Director of Offsite Solutions, said: “We have a history of working with VINCI Building which spans many years.

“We are delighted to be collaborating with their team once again and on this highly sustainable student living project in Bristol – a campus we have already worked on.

“This is an exciting development which will help to meet the rising demand for modern, high quality student living whilst demonstrating a clear commitment to addressing climate change issues."

Steve O’Leary, regional business services manager at VINCI Building, said: “I have managed the procurement and delivery of around 3,500 pods manufactured by Offsite Solutions in the past nine years."

“Their approach suits VINCI Building’s model of student accommodation very well.

“They have robust factory testing processes in place which mean the quality is better and more consistent.”

“Their approach suits VINCI Building’s model of student accommodation very well.

“They have robust factory testing processes in place which mean the quality is better and more consistent.

“This solution reduces the numerous trades for bathroom construction to a single supplier, which results in a considerable time saving.

“Each bathroom typically takes around three weeks to construct traditionally, whereas with offsite manufacturing, we just have to position the pods, make connections, and hang the doors. This is incredibly fast.”

The shower pods have a robust and low maintenance GRP construction. Each will be fully finished in Offsite Solutions’ Somerset factory.

Due for completion for the 2023/24 student intake, this phase of the Frenchay Campus development will provide 900 bedspaces in three buildings spanning over 26,000sqm.