Coulson were appointed as main contractor to carry out the complete refurbishment and retrofit to Braeside Student Accommodation at Clare College, Cambridge.

Originally a dated student accommodation requiring an uplift, Care College decided to make this an exemplar project on retrofitting and reducing the buildings carbon footprint to assist in their net zero targets.

The main works consisted of a new third floor and dormer, new gyp rooms & en-suites, total revamp of the bedrooms and provision of fitted wardrobes. The external walls were over clad with an insulation / render system  along with new windows. These were carefully selected to maintain the look of the building but gave the building a huge increase of thermal efficiency. This together with the omission of Gas, helped reduce the carbon footprint of the building.  The external works consisted of making good the hoggin pathway and gardens, new rear pathway and an enclosure for the ASHPs.

Early engagement with two key supply chain, external render and windows, were key to the success of the project due to the lengthy lead in periods and being on the critical line for the project.

This project received a special award for environmental improvement to help reduce the carbon footprint for this building to zero.