Brock Carmichael celebrated the topping out of The Brook on 30 November, our latest purpose-built student accommodation (PBSA) project in Bath. The project for long standing client Watkin Jones, is located on Lower Bristol Road and will provide 335 student bed spaces, a mix of 215 cluster flats and 120 studies.
The Brook is a 15-minute walk from the historic centre of the city and boasts excellent sustainable transport options – including the nearby National Route Four cycling route, local buses and Bath rail station.
The design comprises two buildings arranged around a sheltered landscaped courtyard. This creates much needed private external amenity space around which the development focus’s communal residential uses. Set back from Lower Bristol Road, the building design borrows from the industrial heritage of the site. Pitched asymmetric roof forms, metalwork and brickwork combine to explore the warehouse typology and this honest design aesthetic creates an identity for the development that doesn’t compete with the Georgian City but sits alongside it.
The topping out ceremony recognised the completion of the concrete frame with this special event. It was proud day for the whole team, with Brock Carmichael represented by Managing Partner Chris Bolland, who said:
“We are thrilled to see this milestone in construction achieved. The design and construction of this significant building project is a real team effort. We’ve worked very closely with the whole Watkin Jones team throughout the preplanning and construction design phases and can’t wait to see the successful completion and occupation of this building.”
The Brook is sustainably designed and will provide a BREEAN ‘Excellent’ rating. The roof will have PV cells and biodiversity will be present throughout the scheme. This will include the planting of new trees on the frontage.
The Brook will provide a high quality addition to the student accommodation offer in the City and will further contribute to the regeneration effect of the Western Riverside Masterplan. Construction is due to complete Summer 2024.