Selwyn Street Student Accommodation

Tauranga needed purpose built student accommodation close to its growing tertiary campus. The result is a 2,563 square metre building with one basement level and four levels of accommodation, holding 94 rooms alongside a separate onsite house for the facility manager.

Budget and site constraints shaped the approach from the outset. Design inputs included alternative structural frames along with envelope and flooring systems chosen to reduce weight, which increased gross floor area and removed the need for significant ground remediation. That combination made a difficult site work without pushing the cost beyond what the project could carry.

Regional Covid lockdowns interrupted delivery, but the complex was completed to a high quality standard and opened in 2021. It was a landmark development for Tauranga.