An application was submitted to Glasgow City Council by Alumno, a student accommodation specialist, to start building a new development in the city’s Woodlands District, specifically on St. George’s Road. As a city with the third-largest student population in the UK, this development is set to provide much-needed student housing in Glasgow.

There is increased pressure on local housing in Glasgow. This is because half of the city’s students live in privately rented accommodation. 

The current shortage of student housing is expected to continue. A recent report shows that, as of September 2022, around 43% of universities faced accommodation shortages. This percentage is anticipated to be approximately 26% by September 2023, when institutions will still be facing similar housing problems and increased shortages. Concern over a shortfall at the beginning of the upcoming admissions cycle has been expressed by about 30% of the city’s universities. 

Housing around 262 students, this new development will be a six-storey building with a number of en-suite bedrooms with shared kitchens as well as self-contained studio rooms. Accessible rooms will also be available at this property for those with additional needs.

As for communal spaces, the development will have a number of them, including a private dining room, a lounge, and a common study space on the fifth floor. Additionally, commercial units on this site will be restored, thus allowing the project to provide opportunities for local businesses. 

“In providing much-needed high-quality accommodation for Glasgow students, our overarching intention is to respect the diverse community of Woodlands and St George's Cross and reconnect and repair the missing corner of St George’s Road while reinforcing the character of the area and re-introducing the frontages at street level,” Alumno’s managing director, David Campbell, said.

One of Alumno’s top priorities is sustainability. Carson & Partners, who have worked with Alumno on several of their accommodation projects across Scotland, including Hyndland House in Glasgow, will be in charge of designing the new student accommodation property. Alumno’s proposal as well as their buildings’ design always have sustainability and placemaking at their forefront. 

Alumno’s development is to be built in the Woodlands Conservation Area, which is a historic area that the council is looking to protect. This has been taken into consideration by Alumno’s proposal, which ensures that the scale, design, and landscaping of the development will minimise any serious impact on the area.

“The plan, elevation, and massing treatments follow a rational approach in response to existing datums, materiality, proportion, and local architectural characteristics,” Lain Carson of Carson & Partners noted.

“The extruded celebration of the corner incorporating a rooftop communal living room and articulation of the facade along Grant Street are both familiar local west-end terrace features. At ground level, a transparent dual-aspect reception will physically and visually connect one of two landscaped courtyards to the street, while its adjoining retail space will once again help to reanimate and reinstate vibrancy to this significant part of St. George's Road,” he concluded.

With a strong track record of creating public art spaces and restoring historic buildings, as well as providing workspaces for both graduates and startups, placemaking is and remains an important element in all of Alumno’s projects.