Anthony Mellalieu shares their outlook on the future of UK student accommodation, from evolving demand and investment to affordability, sustainability and student experience.
Student Experience & Value Proposition
The definition of value is changing in the sense that living in PBSA is now increasingly holistic and experience-driven, rather than centred around price point. The time spent studying at university, and living in a PBSA environment, is a really formative and transformational part of a young person’s life, and naturally that means value goes beyond rent. A comfortable bedroom, suitable spaces to study, appropriate spaces to switch off and relax, and increasingly suitable spaces to exercise, all under one roof, combine to result in better all-round wellbeing. Rather than arriving home from university and spending the rest of the day or evening in their room, fostering spaces that encourage students to open up and interact helps to boost wellbeing, as well as nurturing communities.
This, alongside maintaining close relationships with university partners, aids PBSA operators in contributing to academic success. At urbanest, building and maintaining relationships with universities as part of their accommodation strategies is central not only to the way we operate our communities, but the way in which we go about the development process. By building strong relationships with the likes of University College London, Kings College London, and the London School of Economics, we are able to tailor our offering to cater to differing needs of students as an extension of their university experience, rather than accommodation simply being viewed as housing. An example of this is the range of room types we offer across our portfolio. Through a varied room mix, we can accommodate the different learning styles, schedules and academic pressures to help students maintain concentration and productivity.
Nevertheless, the core priorities remain the same. Residents value a safe place to live and study, combined with a prime location and good transport links, that make accessing university campuses easy. Day-to-day and night-to-night support from professional on-site teams is key to providing the right level of safety and security, and will forever remain a key driver in providing value for students.
Sustainability & Innovation
ESG is at the forefront of our decision-making as it ties in directly with resident experience. With London getting warmer, traditional developments are becoming increasingly stifling. At urbanest, a commitment to constructing all major new developments to Passivhaus standards is an indication of the innovative ways in which we are looking to enhance university life for our residents, while leaving a positive environmental footprint at the same time. Passivhaus developments are comfortably cool in the summer and comfortably warm in the winter, and better for health and wellbeing thanks to filtered air and significant soundproofing. We are now prioritising extreme energy efficiency results and significantly reducing our carbon waste, and thus improving our environmental impact.
This commitment to ESG also means we are aligned with the strategic direction of our university partners. For example, urbanest Canary Wharf, opening in September 2026 exclusively to UCL residents, will be the tallest Passivhaus building in the world and therefore directly supports UCL’s Positive Climate campaign as part of the UCL Sustainability Plan 2025-35.
Opportunities to innovate aren’t restricted to new developments. As buildings within our portfolio grow older, there is increasing scope to bring these schemes further in line with modern-day environmental standards. This could be through upgrading HVAC systems or more rigorous energy monitoring.
In-house initiatives such as our regifting hubs create a cycle of support between residents, reducing waste while helping new students settle in more easily and affordably when they arrive to live with us.
At urbanest, we believe the future of student accommodation lies at the intersection of exceptional people, intelligent buildings and data-driven decision-making. As our portfolio grows and developments such as Canary Wharf come online, technology will increasingly enable us to operate at scale without compromising the resident experience that defines our brand. By integrating resident platforms, CRM systems, smart building technology, operational intelligence and AI-enabled workflows, we can move from reactive management to predictive operations; anticipating resident needs, optimising building performance and empowering our teams to focus on what matters most: creating safe, supportive and highly connected communities.
Technology will also be fundamental to achieving our sustainability ambitions. Buildings such as Canary Wharf have been designed with sustainability and operational efficiency at their core, but long-term success will depend on how effectively we use data to monitor, manage and continuously improve performance. Real-time visibility of energy, water and building systems will help us reduce environmental impact, improve resident comfort and meet the growing expectations of our students, university partners, investors and lenders for transparent and measurable ESG outcomes.
Ultimately, however, technology is an enabler rather than the destination. Student accommodation remains a people business. urbanest’s ambition is not to create smarter buildings for their own sake, but to use technology and data to strengthen wellbeing, belonging and community. The operators that succeed in the future will be those that combine the efficiency of digital systems with the warmth of human connection. For urbanest, the goal is simple: to use technology to help every resident feel more supported, connected and successful while creating a more sustainable and resilient business for the long term.
Thank you to Anthony Mellalieu, Chief Operating Officer, Urbanest, for your insights.
This Q&A is part of a wider campaign featuring insights from senior UK student accommodation leaders. Discover more content from this series.