Lincoln University Student Accommodation

With an increasing student population Lincoln University
invested approximately £70million in its campus through both
refurbishments and new developments, in order to adequately
accommodate the growing numbers Nottingham-based property
developer Bournston constructed two new purpose built pre-let,
fully managed blocks of student apartments and studios.

The new development houses some 569 students, as well as
providing a ground floor retail complex. Developed by Bournston
with main design and build contractor North Midland Building
Ltd, the ‘JunXion’ as it is known, is nine stories in height and such
was demand it was fully let in its first academic year. Aarsleff,
working for North Midland Building installed over 340 precast
concrete foundation piles for the construction.

A second development known as the Pavilions Village began
shortly afterwards, with the first phase being the construction
of a nine story building of 28 apartments with 4 and 6 en-suit
study bedrooms and an further 36 studio apartments. Following
the successful work on the ‘JunXion’ North Midland negotiated
directly with Aarsleff the £150,000 supply, handle, pitch and drive
service for the Pavilions Village.

Using its own Banut 500 self-erecting hydraulic drop hammer
piling rig, Aarsleff installed over 1000no, 250mm square section
piles in lengths of 6-13m, which were supplied and manufactured
by Centrum Pile Ltd, Aarsleff’s wholly owned subsidiary. The
continuously reinforced piles were in clusters of two, three, four,
six and eight, which are directly under the building’s columns
providing individual pile loads of 440 kN.

Piling was not without its complexity, as this was a brownfield
site, piles were driven through sand and gravel, overlying clay,
overlying mudstone with most of the piles founded in sand,
although some of the longer piles, where the sand and gravel
was not thick enough to achieve the working load were driven to
toe into the underlying clay. The piles were later independently
dynamically tested by precision monitoring and control.

Mike Caitlin, Managing Director of North Midland said: “Of course
being a brownfield site there were the inevitable problems
caused by obstructions. But Aarsleff demonstrated a refreshing
approach to these and simply relocated to an area where they
could work whilst the matter was being dealt with. The result
was that by working together the works were completed on
programme and within budget. As a result of their performance
on the JunXion, and also their specialist knowledge and
experience of working in the Lincoln area, we contacted Aarsleff
in the first instance with a mind to continue the good working
relationship that had been built up previously.