New UCL student residence on Caledonian Road

It is a major investment in providing good quality, affordable accommodation for our students. The accommodation comprises a mixture of three to six bedroom 'cluster' flats as well as individual studios which have been designed with post-graduate students in mind.

New Hall also contains a central courtyard area, a large social learning space and two retail units. Mortar Developments have built New Hall and are responsible for the design. A challenging aspect of the building design was the need for Mortar Developments to incorporate the existing façade, which is listed, into an appropriate hall of residence.

The final design complies with all necessary planning regulations in respect of outlook, amenity and natural daylight. There are only around 40 bedrooms out of 350 that are behind the façade. Of these only 2 bedrooms have windows that are significantly misaligned and will be available at a reduced rate.

New Hall has a farm of solar PV panels, to generate electricity, on the roof intermingled with wild flowers and a green wall to the western railway corridor. BREEAM Excellent has been submitted by UCL to the BRE for certification.

Teams in UCL Information Services Division and Student Accommodation (UCL Estates) have worked tirelessly to enable us to open the doors to our students for the start of term. This has included Wi-Fi unit installations - absolutely key for our students.  

New Hall did attract some negative media coverage recently. A piece in Guardian Higher Education this week gives more information about the development and responds to concerns from students and local residents.

New Hall opened at the beginning of the 2013 academic year. View the flickr gallery here.

Andrew Grainger, Director of UCL Estates