New students move in to £11m Aberdeen accommodation

Students have begun moving in to Aberdeen’s first bespoke-built student accommodation premises, following the official opening of Alumno Developments’ 196-bed new property.

With only three weeks until the start of the new academic year, the property at Powis Place is already 70 per cent pre-let. The final touches have now been made to the building’s interior following completion of the build phase by main contractor Kier Construction Scotland during August.

Those include the addition of commissioned artworks from students at the University of Dundee, and a sculpture – titled “A wrapped parcel of books” carved from a piece of Aberdeen granite by renowned Northumbrian artist Fred Watson.

Homes for Students will manage 2 Powis Place on behalf of Alumno.

Comprising a series of two- to nine-bedroom cluster flats, along with studios, the Powis Place development includes onsite management facilities and modern amenities, as well as secure cycle spaces as part of an effort to encourage a reduction in car use.

David Campbell, managing director of Alumno Developments, said: “From groundbreaking to today’s opening, the project has been a great success and we look forward to welcoming our first residents.

“In addition to seeing the development completed to a very high standard and on schedule, by our contractor Kier we were also able to offer structural engineering students from the University of Aberdeen an opportunity to tour the site earlier in the construction phase, giving them direct experience of a live project at a crucial stage in their studies.

“We are really pleased to have been able to work with art students from the University of Dundee, and commission new works from them which now add valuable character to the communal spaces inside 2 Powis Place.

“Fred Watson is a renowned sculptor, who works extensively in granite having won a granite-carving Fellowship at the Scottish Sculpture Workshop in 1991. It’s only appropriate that the academically-themed wrap parcel of books which will become a focal at Powis Place is carved from Aberdeen granite.”

Sean O’Callaghan, area operations director at Kier Construction Scotland, said: “Kier was delighted to work with Alumno Developments again and deliver much needed modern, quality accommodation for students, right in the heart of Aberdeen’s city centre.

“We have a wealth of experience in providing student accommodation across the country and have worked with Alumno Developments on a number of projects, including Glasgow’s West End and in Durham.

“This project has allowed us to provide local jobs to local people, create a graduate quantity surveyor role and work with the engineering students at the University of Aberdeen to inspire and attract diverse new talent to the construction industry.”

Alumno’s funding partners at Powis Place are Lothbury Investment Management. The building was designed by Carson & Partners, and members of the project team supporting Alumno Developments also include Fairhurst, Hawthorne Boyle and Turner and Townsend.