Crow's Nest student accommodation opens in Cork city
At the opening of UCC’s new 255-bed Student Accommodation complex at the Crow’s Nest, Victoria Cross, are UCC President Prof John O’Halloran, Mayor of County Cork, Cllr Frank O’Flynn, Second Year UCC Student and Crow’s Nest resident Niamh Guinevan, Campus Accommodation UCC General Manager Pauline Gilheany, and Lord Mayor of Cork City, Cllr Kieran McCarthy. Image: UCC TV.
NEWLY opened purpose-built student accommodation at the Crow’s Nest in Cork city will “breathe new life into this area of the city”, according to University College Cork (UCC).
Located at the junction of Carrigrohane Road and Victoria Cross, the €35 million, 255-bed UCC student accommodation opened today.
The building was designed by a McCullough Mulvin Architects-led design team and aims to create a landmark building at this gateway into the city.
Instead of using the traditional ‘one building block’ approach, the design breaks down the massing of the scheme using vertical elements of varying heights.
This approach allows light through to the street below while also maintaining views through the site towards the Shanakiel Ridge.
A reception, as well as student support facilities, are provided at ground floor level, together with the separate UCC Health Centre accessed from Carrigrohane Road and a café unit at the corner of the site facing onto Victoria Cross.
A large public open space is also proposed adjacent to the café which will create an attractive focus of activity, an attribute that is currently missing in this area of the city.
On Friday, local neighbours, UCC students, staff and dignitaries were given a tour of the 8,077sqm development, which comprises four-bed apartments primarily and includes 125 bicycle spaces, a dedicated study area, a music room, a recreation room and 24-hour security.
The Near Zero Energy Building (NZEB) will have a BREEAM Excellent rating and includes sustainability features such as heat recovery ventilation, low-usage water fittings, and photovoltaic solar panels.
Speaking about the development, president of UCC, Professor John O’Halloran, said: “The difficult challenge students face in obtaining accommodation is very clear. Universities cannot solve this situation on their own.
In total, UCC offers 1,534 beds in Cork city with accommodation ranging from €100 a week at Castlewhite to €225 a week at Crow’s Nest.
“UCC offers a range of accommodation at different price points and today we open student accommodation purposefully built and to a high standard,” Professor O’Halloran said further.
Mark Poland, director of building and estates at UCC, added: “This will breathe new life into this area of the city and I want to thank all the team and local authorities for their work and support for a beautiful addition to the streetscape of Cork city."
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