Footballs From Heaven: The Student Block With a Five-A-Side Pitch On The Roof

Aumberry Gap student housing, Loughborough, developed by Southern Grove Pinfold Gate, designed by Rio Architects and promoted by Future Generation Feb 2018
Rio Architects/Future Generation
Aumberry Gap Student Housing, Loughborough, Developed By Southern Grove Pinfold Gate, Designed By Rio Architects And Promoted By Future Generation

A Midlands student housing scheme will have a five-a-side football pitch on the roof — but protected by a wire mesh to prevent stray balls landing on pedestrians six floors below.

The developers are even talking about using kinetic energy from the strikes, runs and tackles to power floodlights, using special under-pitch technology.

The Elite scheme for the Aumberry site at Loughborough is designed by Rio Architects and promoted by Future Generation, is now before planners at Charnwood council.

The football pitch is on top of a six-storey block: the neighbouring 14-storey block is not similarly equipped. It will be available for booking by local people — but no after dark play will be permitted.

"The choice of sport was in part made to pay homage to the upcoming World Cup, but also due to the popularity of football as the ‘People’s Game’," Future Generation Associate Director Frances Turner told Bisnow.

"Our entire application for the site involves creating a feeling of community cohesion, with the pitch and ground floor co-working and multi-purpose facilities all being accessible to the wider public. Whether it be during a game of football, collaborating in our co-working spaces or during a group yoga session, we hope that our spaces will act as a hub that integrates both the students and local residents in Loughborough."

The development proposes around 500 beds in 45 cluster apartments and 91 studio apartments.

Continue reading this story with a free account

Log in or register
Related Topics: Rio Architects
Sign up for more articles like this
Subscribe to Bisnow's Birmingham Newsletters
Related Stories

Carnegie Mellon's Ken Griffin-Backed Campus Has Miami Developers Salivating

D.C. Unveils Final RFK Campus Vision With New Detail On Housing, Transit

25 Years After 9/11, Lower Manhattan Is Finally Firing On All Cylinders

Mamdani Targets Central Brooklyn For First Neighborhood Rezoning

How One Woman Keeps Wynwood's Artistic Heart Beating With Developers Rushing In

Ted Turner, Who Left A Mark On Downtown Atlanta CRE, Dies At 87

Democrats Win Congress As America's Data Center Backlash Hits The Ballot Box

U.S. Hotel RevPAR Surges 7% In Q3, But Expect Easing From Here

Stock Sell-Off, Bond Market Jitters Signal Financing Trouble For AI Data Centers

Starwood Launches Residential Land JV Targeting $1B In Annual Originations

RealPage Antitrust Case Ends With Nearly $360M In Settlements For Renters

ZOM Living Entity Files For Bankruptcy To Fund Fight To Overturn $323M Judgment