Oaklands College, Homestead Building

This is the first phase of Oakland College’s £62m redevelopment plan to transform its St Albans campus. The Homestead building provides residential accommodation for up to 80 students as well as two on-site wardens. All rooms have en-suite bathrooms, and the development also has four disabled-accessible rooms.

Located on the west side of the campus, it also includes a large car park adjacent to the Homestead.

The Homestead building boasts two large communal areas, two shared kitchens and underfloor heating, with access to the building via a swipe-card entry system. There will be a dedicated recreational area with a basketball court at the rear of the building.

To ensure that the new building is in line with the College’s eco-friendly commitment, the building uses natural ventilation alongside sustainable underfloor heating which uses air source heat pumps.

During the build, Willmott Dixon worked closely with the college to ensure that their construction students utilise having a live construction on their doorstep and learn as much as possible from the team on site.

The accommodation will be available for students in the Wolves Sports Academies who come from over the UK to join the elite programmes and study at the college.