Work has commenced on a £41 million student accommodation for Queen’s University in Belfast.
Construction started on a 17-storey building providing 463 apartments with communal facilities as well as internal and external communal amenities spaces.
Work began in August 2024 with the first batch of students expected to make themselves home in September 2026.
The building will be erected on the Dublin Road.
Queen’s University Belfast have hailed the Passivhaus development as the “largest eco-friendly student accommodation on the island of Ireland”.
Passivhaus is a standard that means very little energy is used to maintain heating or cooling in the building due to insulation, appropriate windows, and ventilation systems with heat recovery among others.
Queen’s will share the site with tech giant Kainos, which is building its new headquarters.
Speaking at the sod-turning event, Queen’s President and Vice-Chancellor Professor Sir Ian Greer remarked that the accommodation will “transform” the area once known as Belfast’s Golden Mile.
“For the past 180 years, Queen’s has been renowned for providing a world-class education to our students and huge influence on the economic and social landscape of Belfast and beyond,” he said.
“This accommodation, together with Kainos’ new office space, will transform the landscape of Dublin Road, increase economic activity in the area through city-centre-living and deliver tangible benefits for the welfare of our people and planet.”
Liz McLaughlin, Director for Student and Campus Experience said the accommodation will help meet the increasing demand for student accommodation.
“Belfast is a lively, future-focussed city that year-on-year, is attracting a higher number of students, meaning Queen’s has seen increased demand for university accommodation,” she said.
“Our continued investment in first-rate accommodation and facilities offers prospective students high-quality, secure living quarters, alongside a transformative student experience.”
Feature Image Credit: RPP Architects – Belfast