UWE Bristol: inside the UK’s largest Passivhaus development
CM Staff
Stuart Brown FCIOB, director – project management at JLL, shares the challenge of creating Passivhaus-certified student housing at Purdown View in Bristol.
Images courtesy of JLL
Imagine student accommodation that not only provides a comfortable and modern living space, but also champions sustainability and drastically reduces carbon emissions.
This vision became a reality with Purdown View, a pioneering £80m regeneration project at UWE Bristol’s Frenchay campus which is the UK’s largest certified Passivhaus development.
It comprises 900 fossil fuel-free, net-zero student rooms, replacing outdated, carbon-intensive stock while increasing capacity on the same site by 3.5 times.
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Purdown View isn’t just another construction project – it’s a game-changer. With market-leading sustainability KPIs, including modelling an 81% reduction in energy use per bed, a 79% cut in operational carbon emissions per room and a 54% biodiversity net gain – it's capturing global attention.
This project is already redefining the future of purpose-built student accommodation (PBSA), setting a gold standard for sustainable living.
Unprecedented Passivhaus project
One of the most significant hurdles was achieving Passivhaus certification on a scale never before seen for student accommodation.
With few precedents for large-scale Passivhaus developments in the UK, the project team collaborated directly with the Passivhaus Institute in Germany to develop bespoke certification criteria specifically for high-density student accommodation.
This includes space heating demand below 15kWh/m²/yr, airtightness under 0.6 air changes/hr and zero fossil fuel systems.
Innovative technologies such as air source heat pumps (ASHPs) are the primary source for domestic hot water, and electric panel heaters have smart Prefect controls for space heating. The buildings feature mechanical ventilation with heat recovery (MVHR) systems and roof-mounted photovoltaic (PV) panels.
Image courtesy of JLL
To ensure the success of this ambitious project, the contractor, Vinci Construction, invested heavily in R&D, conducting extensive mock-up testing at its technology centre.
This rigorous approach validated the high-performance envelope design and airtightness strategies before onsite works even began. The insights gained directly informed its Inspection and Test Plan, ensuring that every detail was meticulously communicated to the supply chain, leaving nothing to chance.
Working with Stuart and the JLL team on the Purdown View project at UWE Bristol was an absolute pleasure. The team were hugely experienced and helped the UWE project team deliver a world-class student development
Gary Musson MCIOB, project manager, UWE Bristol
Ensuring that the building's actual performance mirrored the design intentions was a top priority. JLL’s scope included a structured ’soft landings’ approach with comprehensive sub-metering throughout the development allowing granular tracking of all energy-consuming systems in use.
This digital infrastructure enables real-time monitoring against design targets, facilitating quick identification of operational anomalies and targeted interventions. The team also established a ’Living Lab‘ partnership with PhD academic researchers at UWE Bristol to monitor long-term building performance.
But Purdown View is more than just an exercise in sustainability: it's a testament to the importance of student wellbeing.
Driven by a wellbeing-focused design approach, the project incorporates biophilic principles and maximises natural light, aligning with the University Mental Health Charter guidelines.
Extensive stakeholder sessions captured student feedback, resulting in high-quality finished rooms and flexible social spaces that cater to current and future student needs.
Image courtesy of JLL
JLL’s leadership at Purdown View is shaping university estates strategies across the UK, with international investors and developers looking to adopt the Purdown View model to replicate its benefits.
JLL has not only managed the complexity of this project but has also made sustainable PBSA scalable and transferable, solidifying its position as a market leader.
Purdown View stands as a compelling proof point – and most importantly, the students love it.
The November/December 2025 issue of Construction Management magazine is now available to read in digital format.
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