The multi-million pound Student Village is currently under construction at the University’s Stoke-on-Trent campus. Based on its Leek road site, the development will blend contemporary and sustainable architecture with its location close to the University’s nature reserve and the River Trent.
The landmark project will see around 700 new student rooms built in cluster blocks and town houses alongside a village ‘hub’ facility – which will act as a social space for students and feature events and wellbeing spaces, and study areas.
Due for completion in the summer, the Student Village will welcome its first intake of students to its brand-new accommodation in September.
However, future students can have a sneak peek at where they will be living and studying in the StaffsVerse – a virtual recreation of the University’s three main campuses in the popular computer game Fortnite.
Vice-Chancellor Professor Martin Jones said: “The student experience is at the forefront of the design of our new Student Village, providing high-quality accommodation and a range of social spaces. Once complete, it will be the heart of our campus community, providing a vibrant space for students to live, study and socialise.
“The StaffsVerse offers an exciting opportunity for students, parents, staff and the wider public to virtually explore the Student Village before anyone else and get a taste of what it will be like when we open its doors later this year.”
Built in Unreal Engine and hosted as a Fortnite island, StaffsVerse launched last year and has now been updated to include the new Student Village as it will look once complete.
University of Staffordshire is home to the UK’s largest games department and StaffsVerse was created by students from a range of games courses as part of the University’s award winning 1UP placement programme.
Willmott Dixon is leading on the construction of the Student Village and has worked closely with the University’s Games Institute to update the StaffsVerse.
Professor Chris Headleand, Head of the University’s Games institute, said: “We were proud to collaborate with our partners in Willmott Dixon to bring the Student Village to life in our virtual campus. The StaffsVerse will provide a unique, and immersive opportunity to explore our state-of-the-art student accommodation.”
Jessica Greig, from Willmott Dixon, added: "It is really great to see the Student Village coming to life both on site and now live in the StaffsVerse. The level of detail and coordination in the University’s virtual recreation is hugely impressive, and collaborating with the University’s Games Institute on this has been a genuinely enjoyable and unique experience. It has been fantastic to support that process wherever we have been able to.”
The Student Village scheme is being delivered in partnership with Staffordshire Campus Living, a consortium formed by Hochtief PPP Solutions UK and Ireland, Plenary and University of Staffordshire.
It has been designed by architects Corstorphine and Wright, with Pinnacle Group supporting the operation of the new accommodation.
As part of the project, the University’s existing Clarice Cliff Court accommodation, which is home to almost 300 students, is also being refurbished to ensure that all the University’s en-suite accommodation meets the same high standards.
Discover more about the Student Village project here. To access the StaffsVerse campus, launch the Fortnite computer game and type in the island code 7421-1052-8692.