Unite Students begins construction of new 719-bed student property in Stratford, London

• Unite Students starts the next stage of its 719-bed Stratford property after signing build contract
• Work is starting on the construction phase of Hawthorne House, which is replacing a former office block, with total development costs estimated at £185million
• The 36-storey building will be ready for the 2026/27 academic year
• The building includes a 65,000 sq ft sixth form academy – the London Academy of Excellence – over eight floors
• Unite Students has introduced carbon saving technologies into the build, which will save 9,770 tonnes of embodied carbon over the lifetime of the building

Unite Students, the UK’s largest provider of student accommodation, has begun the construction phase of its new £185million property in Stratford, London.

Hawthorne House is being built in Farthingale Walk, Stratford, and is replacing former office block Jubilee House, which has now been demolished. It will open in time for the 2026/27 academic year.

The 36-storey property includes a 65,000 sq ft sixth-form academy, the London Academy of Excellence, over eight floors, which will be in place for an initial 35-year term.

Unite Students is using a ‘fabric first’ approach, which means the design of the building optimises the materials being used in its construction to give better energy efficiency, such as maximising air tightness and solar gain.

Unite Students’ Hawthorne House in Stratford, London

The development’s embodied carbon saving is 9,770 tCO2e (tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent) over 60 years, which exceeds the RIBA (Royal Institute of British Architects) 2030 Climate Challenge baseline. These are voluntary performance targets for operational energy use, water use and embodied carbon.

London, which is home to over 300,000 students, hosts three of the world’s top 25 universities. Unite Students is the capital’s largest student accommodation operator and is committed to adding more beds.

Hawthorne House will have 719 beds

Unite Students acquired the Farthingale Walk site earlier this year for £73million. RG Group has been awarded the build contract.

Tom Brewerton, Group Development Director at Unite Students, said:

“Unite Students is leading the purpose-built student accommodation sector in London and Hawthorne House will be a unique offering in the capital. Our rental offer remains very competitive when compared to alternative forms of student accommodation and we are confident our fixed-price, all-inclusive rent provides real value-for-money for our customers.

“Hawthorne House will offer high quality bedrooms, social and study areas, and will be home to a sixth form academy. It shows Unite Students’ commitment to deliver high quality student accommodation using sustainable methods. We look forward to furthering our relationship with both University of the Arts London and the London Academy of Excellence.”

ENDS

Notes to Editors

For further information, please contact Unite Students press office on 0117 4506300 or email: press.office@unitestudents.com

About Unite Students

Unite Students is the UK’s largest owner, manager, and developer of purpose-built student accommodation (PBSA) serving the country’s world-leading higher education sector. We provide homes to 70,000 students across 157 properties in 23 leading university towns and cities. We currently partner with over 60 universities across the UK.

Our people are driven by a common purpose: to provide a ‘Home for Success’ for the students who live with us. Unite Students’ accommodation is safe and secure, high quality, and affordable. Students live predominantly in en-suite study bedrooms with rents covering all bills, insurance, 24-hour security and high-speed Wi-Fi. We also achieved a five-star British Safety Council rating in our last audit.

We are committed to raising standards in the student accommodation sector for our customers, investors, and employees. This is why our new Sustainability Strategy, launched in 2021, includes a commitment to become net zero carbon across our operations and developments by 2030.

Founded in 1991 in Bristol, the Unite Group is an award-winning Real Estate Investment Trust (REIT), listed on the London Stock Exchange. For more information, visit Unite Group’s corporate website www.unitegroup.com or the Unite Students’ site www.unitestudents.com.