Fitzwilliam Street Student Accommodation

Wetherby’s A1 external wall insulation system has delivered significant benefits to a major regeneration scheme in Sheffield city centre. The new development comprises of four new buildings catering for more than 860 students alongside two communal units.

The brownfield site located at the junctions of Moore Street, Fitzwilliam Street and Thomas Street off The Moor previously featured vacant warehouses which have since been demolished to make way for a series of studio and two bed apartments for the students of The University of Sheffield and Sheffield Hallam University.

The four new student blocks represent another key investment in to the regeneration of the city and will range in height with the tallest measuring up to 17 storey’s creating a landmark feature to the city centre. The further three buildings will be constructed to ten, six and twelve storey’s in height providing a graduated profile to the development.

Construction and property development company ISG were appointed to build the premium student accommodation buildings on behalf of the student housing company Fusion Students.

To accompany the eye-catching new buildings, it was important to have a robust façade system that will not only create a striking finish but will also provide superior fire performance and insulating properties. With this in mind, Wetherby’s A1 external wall insulation system was chosen due to achieving the highest possible European fire classification and maximising the thermal benefits through the use of stone wool insulation.

The new buildings form a combination of a concrete base and steel frame structure which then incorporated Wetherby’s A1 system complete with a non-combustible stone wool insulation in a thickness of 130mm, followed by reinforcing mesh and a basecoat.

The long-term compressive strength and high impact resistance of Wetherby’s A1 system provides maximum thermal efficiency meaning energy bills are kept to a minimum creating warm and weather resistant homes. Due to its non-combustibility and superior fire performance all Building Regulation requirements have been met providing the Fusion students and the client with piece of mind the new builds are safe and secure for years to come. The system also benefits from excellent acoustic performance making it ideal for absorbing and regulating noise in the area.

York Wall Systems completed the installation of the external wall insulation system and finished this with Wetherby’s Heck ED mineral render and silicone paint in shade 0804-Y10R.

The new buildings also feature communal facilities for the students and a 1600 sq ft retail unit to the frontage of Fitzwilliam Street making a positive contribution to the city.

Tim Harvey, ISG regional director, commented: “Fusion Students is driving the transformation of the student accommodation market and setting the benchmark for aspirational living that clearly resonates with its customers. This is a relationship driven business and one that understands what’s important to its market, and there is a clear focus on combining high-quality living spaces with outstanding communal amenities providing a real home from home for residents.

“The Sheffield scheme is our fourth project for Fusion since 2017 and represents its largest and most ambitious development to date. The strength, expertise and consistency of our regional contracting business is a highly important factor in our ongoing partnership with Fusion as we look to support its future growth ambitions across major UK conurbations.”