Sandhills, Talbot Street

Their chosen location was previously a garage, and earlier still, a church. Set within a local conservation area, it was a constrained and blighted site featuring underground caves and old petrol tanks. With a complex project ahead, they asked Pulse Consult to take the lead.

Drawing on our strong track record in residential construction and student accommodation, we provided project management consultancy, quantity surveying and employer’s agent services. This included implementing a bespoke foundation solution to work around the site’s underground caves and enable the build to get safely out of the ground.

We drove cost efficiencies into the design during the pre-construction phase, using a design-to-cost approach to make sure the scheme was commercially viable. Our construction consultants also worked closely with funders, making sure the project met their needs and their support was secured. This also involved collaborating with an institutional investor who came on board post-contract and requested significant design changes.

In the closing stages of the project, the main contractor went into administration, but our residential construction consultants delivered the outstanding works and defects, enabling the doors to open and the students to move in on time.

The finished BREEAM Excellent building is one of Nottingham’s most attractive student residences, fully let and liked by the student community. Set over ten-storeys and split into two blocks, it features 332 student bedrooms in cluster flats around a courtyard. There’s also a large communal area, meeting rooms, lounge areas and a demonstration kitchen.

We led a truly collaborative team, with everyone working exceptionally well together to deliver a successful scheme – on time, on budget, and with no post-completion issues. Red Oak Property were really pleased with the results and we’ve since supported them on a number of new projects across the UK.

• Project management consultancy
• Procurement advice & management
• Project programming & planning
• Stakeholder management
• Value management
• Risk management
• Quality management
• Project governance
• Employer’s agent
• Site acquisition due diligence
• Quantity surveying & cost consultancy
• Measurement, estimation & costing
• Main contract tendering & tender analysis
• Contract documentation
• Contract administration
• Fund monitoring
• Life cycle costing
• Feasibility studies
• Development appraisals
• Cost control (pre and post)
• Distressed contracts & dispute resolution