Designed by architects Stride Treglown, the new scheme, named ‘Vine Court’, comprises 710 student accommodation units, providing a mix of en-suite study bedrooms, studio apartments, two-bedroom apartments and two-bedroom duplex ‘loft’ apartments.

Constructed as two horseshoe-shaped buildings, the development will also include a 250-seat restaurant and a cafe in the ‘West Block’ and retail space, currently designed as three units plus a laundrette, in the ‘East Block’.

The student development is being hailed as the most sustainable in the UK and includes  features such as  a grey water system to provide water for toilet flushing, LED lighting for common areas, air source heat pumps, brown and green roofs, solar-thermal heating and integral natural habitats built into the brick work.

The buildings will be of concrete construction with a brick outer skin and will be built around a central, landscaped courtyard which will be open as a public space during the day.

Steve Dickson Director of Facilities for the University of Liverpool: “This scheme will be a flagship student residence for the University of Liverpool and will see the number of student rooms available from the University rising to above the 4,000 mark for the first time.

The project has now started on site and is due for completion in June 2012, ready for summer delegates and the new intake of students for the 2012/2013 academic year.

Managing director of Ocon, Andrew Barker: “This is an extremely prestigious project and will set a new benchmark for student accommodation both in the standard of specification and the emphasis on eco-friendly features”.