NOVA, Nottingham

NOVA on Wollaton Street is a high-end, 437-bed purpose-built student accommodation development in Nottingham, managed by Collegiate. Offering a mix of studios and en-suite apartments, the scheme includes premium amenities such as a gym, cinema room, study areas, and a public-facing ground-floor café, contributing to the vibrancy of the surrounding area near Canning Circus and the city centre.

The project combines the retrofit of an existing office building with a new-build element constructed alongside it, creating a cohesive and contemporary student living environment despite significant changes in site levels.

The scheme involved the adaptation of an existing office building, requiring detailed appraisal of the original in-situ concrete frame to determine its suitability for conversion. The site is underlain by sandstone bedrock and features notable level differences between the retained structure and the adjacent new-build element. Integrating old and new structures across varying levels introduced additional structural coordination challenges.

Farrow Walsh assessed the condition and capacity of the existing concrete frame to inform the retrofit strategy. A structural solution was developed to manage the transition between the retained building and the new-build element, accommodating the significant level differences across the site. A transfer structure at lower levels was introduced to support two storeys and provide a stable base for the light gauge steel frame (LGSF) superstructure above. By carefully coordinating the structural systems and responding to the sandstone geology, Farrow Walsh enabled the successful delivery of a premium student accommodation scheme within a constrained city-centre setting.