Altus House - a Net Zero Carbon Landmark
24/6/22
In August 2021 Olympian announced completion of the tallest student accommodation building in Northern Europe – Altus House in Leeds.
Forward funded by IQ Student, the 37-storey scheme on Tower House Street incorporates 752 student rooms across a total of 23,662 sqm GIFA and has been constructed as a net zero carbon development.
Starting onsite on 01 October 2018 with practical completion on 04 August 2021, the student accommodation was ready in time for the start of the academic year. The build programme took 34 months to complete despite the challenges presented by the pandemic, construction continued whilst observing strict social distancing measures and the government's health and safety regulations.
The development has been built by RG Construction and the net zero carbon landmark was reached through offsetting using a gold standard verified emissions reduction scheme that is focussed on delivering wind power and renewable energy.
Olympian, specialists in sourcing and developing large-scale purpose-built projects, are committed to delivering high quality developments and the company's first net zero carbon building is a significant achievement and one that they are committed to replicating. The development will help to meet the considerable demand for student housing in Leeds and it is anticipated it will set a quality benchmark for student accommodation in the area. The completion of this project marks another significant achievement for Olympian.
Key Challenges
July 2020 marked a key milestone with the final pour of the level 37 roof deck and parapet walls. In parallel the facade progressed simultaneously with Techrete panels wrapping the building as its enclosure progressed to a final conclusion. Internal fit-out followed maintaining coordination with the overall programme. The site constraints presented the main challenge for this scheme as the footprint is very restricted and bounded on all sides by highways and other buildings. Achieving lateral stability of a slender building was a critical design consideration. Construction sequencing was also a major challenge and the logistics of building the structure were given careful consideration, with designs being carried out for numerous temporary construction cases. The tower crane scheme presented a significant challenge due to the forces involved and the need to tie the crane to the building during the construction period.
Solution
The structural solution included a reinforced concrete core located as centrally as possible whilst still being sympathetic to the architectural layouts, working in tandem with flat slabs and reinforced columns to resist significant lateral loading due to wind forces. A wind tunnel test was carried out to ensure accurate loading was used in the design, and to assess the dynamic response of the structure. The construction sequence involved a slip-formed core with temporary support from internal slabs, with the tower crane tied to the core and floor slabs at two levels.
Student Life
Towering over Leeds city centre, this 37-storey building is the tallest in Yorkshire and makes the most of the stunning panoramic views from the roof terrace on the 35th floor. Students are just a short distance from the university campuses, with Leeds Beckett and the University of Leeds within a 10-minute walk.
There is a choice of en-suite rooms ranging between 13-17 sqm with larger accessible rooms available and self-contained studio accommodation of up to 22 sqm, along with some of the best facilities in town. A cinema, private dining room and a retro arcade and games room add plenty of enjoyment to student life.
Richard Goodwin, Construction Director of Olympian Homes and James Smith, Associate Director of RG Group will be presenting a detailed case study of Altus House at the Tall Buildings Conference taking place at 22 Bishopsgate
Source: olympianhomes.com