London based architecture studio, Apt, has completed Parkside Infinity, a £32m, 504 room student housing development located in the heart of Coventry’s university district, for UNINN Parkside Development Ltd.
Designed to address the protected heritage views, the 213,602 sq.ft. GEA scheme creates a new landmark building for this important gateway site into the city.
The designs work in harmony with the city by respecting and framing its historic sites such as the listed church spires. The completed scheme provides generous high-quality living and social spaces as well as a gym, cinema room, karaoke room and is organised around a central courtyard with glazed link bridges, opened at ground floor to a secluded landscaped garden.
The new buildings present an attractive five/six storey frontage to Parkside which reflect the context of this local street. A confident, 14 storey building concludes the scheme at the junction with Coventry’s Ring Road and Mile Lane. Within the site and closer to the Ring Road, the new buildings increase in height to 10 and then 20 storeys above basement for the tallest element, which has at its top a panoramic, communal, flexible room with a peripheral terrace to enjoy views of the city as well as being a lit beacon during the evening. This enables the scheme to provide the city with an urban feature that contributes positively to Coventry’s changing city centre skyline.
The student bedrooms are traditionally built with an emphasis on a high standard of finishes and a modern colour palette. Each cluster comprises between five and nine generous, en-suite bedrooms, a communal lounge and kitchen and a connecting corridor. Each en-suite and the studios have at least one generous window providing views of the city and central courtyard.
Stephane Piazza, Project Leader at Apt, said:
“Parkside Infinity is a brilliant example of Apt’s expertise in designing student accommodation on a tight budget and delivering a high-quality scheme. Generous cluster en-suite and studio rooms, combined with exceptional communal facilities has made the project a tremendous success both for the client and with the student residents.”
Echo Wu, Development Manager at Erec Estates said
“It has been absolutely amazing working with Apt on UNINN Parkside Infinity, a PBSA which is the tallest building in Coventry and definitely one of our proudest projects so far. The fantastic design, ample storage, the classy and stylish colour scheme and the sky lounge on the 19th floor with the city’s panoramic view, have all made Infinity one of the most popular choices for students.”