Kingston University halls of residence at Seething Wells and Kingston Hill to undergo multi-million pound refurbishment

Posted Thursday 30 July 2020

A £100 million project to upgrade Kingston University's halls of residence at Seething Wells and Kingston Hill gets under way this month.

The scheme will be delivered by Kingston Student Living - a consortium made up of infrastructure investment firm Equitix and energy, services and regeneration company ENGIE, who will work in partnership with the University. It will provide a suite of new, energy-efficient and state-of-the-art bedrooms, as well as a range of enhanced facilities that will transform the experience for student residents living at both sites.

As part of the project, 1,216 existing rooms will be refurbished across the Seething Wells and Kingston Hill halls, with a further 117 new rooms added. Five listed buildings at Seething Wells will also be renovated, providing a café and dedicated events space. The Kingston Hill site will benefit from new and larger communal kitchens and upgraded shared social spaces for students.

Vice-Chancellor Professor Steven Spier said that, following the opening of the flagship Town House building at the Penrhyn Road campus earlier this year and a major refurbishment at the Kingston School of Art's Knights Park campus, the new project further demonstrated the University's commitment to continually improving students' experience. "The environment and spaces in which students live, study and socialise have a real impact on their time at university," he said. "This long-term partnership with ENGIE and Equitix will allow us to improve on and upgrade our halls of residence at Seething Wells and Kingston Hill for the benefit of our students, ensuring they have access to high quality, modern accommodation while they complete their degrees."

Kingston Student Living will be responsible for all aspects of the development, from securing the project financing to the construction, ongoing management and maintenance of the facilities. ENGIE will provide facilities management services to both sites for a minimum of 40 years.

Equitix development director Ben Leech said the company was proud to add such a prestigious project to its existing student accommodation portfolio. "We now look forward to working closely with the University to help it regenerate its campus offering and deliver its vision for quality student housing," he added.

The upgraded accommodation would boast top of the range facilities in an energy efficient environment, chief executive officer for ENGIE's places and communities division, Colin Macpherson, said. "ENGIE continues to work closely with all its partners to drive forward zero carbon ambitions and Kingston will be an exemplar of how universities can thrive in a modern world. We look forward to a long and successful relationship with the University."

Award-winning architects TP Bennett have led on the design of the project, which secured planning permission last year. Construction is set to be completed in 2022.