Sheppard Robson hands over uni building

The Manchester studio of architects Sheppard Robson has completed a student halls of residence for Leeds University.

The Storm Jameson Court building, part of the Charles Morris Hall residential complex, was granted planning permission in 2008 and saw the demolition of Mary Ogilvie House, replacing the existing 118 units with 459 bedrooms.

The new accommodation will enable more students to live in the city centre, easing traffic congestion and relieving pressure on the over populated Headingley campus. The redesigned building comprises of two blocks connected by a glazed link and forms the southern boundary of the courtyard on the Charles Morris Hall complex.

Mary-Ann Crompton, associate at Sheppard Robson, said: "Storm Jameson Court is an exciting development for the university and the city as a whole. It will provide much needed modern, attractive student accommodation right in the city centre and will open up the university's western campus for future development. The complex will also provide good links with the current academic buildings making the area very easy to navigate for university students and staff.

"Prospective students have high expectations for their term-time accommodation and seek out facilities such as en-suite bathrooms; there's a lot of competition from other universities and it's an important consideration now when selecting an application shortlist."

Sheppard Robson obtained planning permission for the project before it was completed by Morgan Sindall under a design and build contract.