This mixed-use building in the City of London combines high-quality student housing, flexible office spaces, and café, all seamlessly knitted together.

The 656-bed student accommodation features bright, contemporary interiors and a variety of communal, games, chill out and work spaces, with two common rooms at roof level offering spectacular views across London. Rooms are light and airy with generous floor to ceiling glazing and openable vents. Studios and clusters, with and without en-suites, cater for a wide range of student requirements.

Urbanest City's silhouette features inset terraces sheltered by an oversailing barrel vault roof constructed using a bespoke inclined cladding system developed with an integrated framework of solar shading louvres. The building height was limited to protect views of Tower Bridge and a gently curving roof helps reduce perceived mass and increase the amount of visible sky along Vine Street. Eleven floors of boutique workspace provide floorplates ranging from 2,800 to 4,800 sq. ft. to suit a variety of occupier needs.

A contemporary aesthetic features floor-to-ceiling glazing, with exposed services and concrete structure. A double height reception area includes generous touchdown space and informal meeting space with views over the newly created shared surface on Vine Street and landscaping to Jewry Street. A large section of London’s Roman City Wall has been restored and prominently displayed in a new exhibition space accessed via the café or via its own dedicated entrance from Jewry Street.

Designed by Hopkins and delivered by APT, the project features a number of sustainability initiatives including a shared plant across the different building uses to optimise efficiency, and integrated solar shading to reduce cooling loads and improve occupant comfort. Roof areas are planted to improve biodiversity and reduce rainwater run-off and include PV Arrays for renewable power. The building design also re-uses the existing basement structure of the former buildings on the site as well as areas of existing foundations. Active travel is encouraged with extensive facilities provided for cyclists, including parking, showers and a cycle maintenance station that is shared by all building users.