New studios and shared student apartments unveiled in St Andrews development

The SPACE development on the former Kilrymont High school comes after the building was bought in 2021 by the operators of the Scotsman Hotel in Edinburgh.

The project reached a milestone this week with the opening of a show studio, and the release of the first phase of the development at the Grade A listed building.

It will see the three-storey building repurposed to offer six different room types, as well as expansive areas for socialising, studying and recreation. All studios feature a separate living/study area, as well as floor-to-ceiling windows, a waterfall shower with Corian vanity, individual kitchen facilities and plenty of storage. Apartments are available in two, three and four bedroom options.

The concept behind SPACE is to develop accommodation that does not only provide a contemporary and design-led home for students who attend the University of St Andrews but to also create an inclusive development where local residents and the community at large can also take advantage of the spaces and services on offer. It will feature a selection of retail, sports and leisure offers available which will see the site become a hub for locals..

A spokesperson for the design team said- “We believe that students need more than a room to call home and we are developing a property that has shared communal spaces that will offer all students a place to go to socialise in the communal hubs, study within the library or private study pods, entertain friends within a private kitchen dining room or keep fit and active in the gym or recreational hall.

“To that end, the design team has focussed intensively on maximizing the recreational space offered at the site, with a particular emphasis on several external multi-use spaces, designed with both individual and team-based exercise in mind. The guiding principle is to put our students front and centre of all decisions that are made at every stage of the development from creating contemporary and sustainable design-led spaces that are built to provide a quality home to call your own.”

Developers say there needs to be a real focus on health and wellbeing and will aim to actively promote and offer this to residents by providing not only the space, but a robust activity and events programme which will support both physical and emotional wellbeing, and will be facilitated by a 24/7 onsite team.

The launch of the development is being overseen by Ashley Gibbons, who has held previous roles with University Of Edinburgh and Unite Students. She said: “SPACE St. Andrews is truly a new generation of student accommodation, and we are thrilled to be launching it here in St. Andrews to cater to students of one of the world’s most prestigious and historic universities.

“We are excited to be opening the doors to our show flats, and also the site itself on Kilrymont Road to fully showcase our offer to our prospective residents and their families.”

> SPACE will hold an open day on November 10, where prospective residents can experience a fully furnished sample studio, and find out more.