Sydney students say goodbye to two-minute noodles
Forget dishevelled share houses and dingy digs. Urbanest Darling House in Sydney is part of a new generation of student accommodation offering cinemas, gyms, rooftop terraces and in-house catering.
When Urbanest opens the doors on its new Darling Harbour student apartments in July, it will be the first off-campus fully catered accommodation on the market.
Urbanest established its first property in Brisbane’s South Bank almost a decade ago, and today has 12 properties in Adelaide, Brisbane, Melbourne and Sydney.
Investment in the Australian purpose-built student has accelerated rapidly over the last decade, as international student numbers swell.
Austrade predicts that Australia’s international education sector will accommodate 940,000 enrolments by 2025, equating to more than $33 billion by 2025. According to Savills, Chinese and Indian students account for nearly 40 per cent of all international students.
Standing at 22-storeys, Urbanest Darling House was delivered in partnership with Lendlease, Buildcorp and AJ+C architects.
The 664-bed development on Darling Drive is connected by a bridge to Urbanest’s nearby Darling Square development. Together, the buildings provide more than 1,200 student accommodation beds.
At Urbanest Darling House, students will no longer subsist on two-minute noodles. The new dining space, dubbed The Eatery, will see a team of top chefs serve up a multicultural menu, while a juice bar, espresso coffee station and ‘grab and go’ service will support students on the run.
Urbanest’s chief executive officer, David Munro, says the company’s goal is to “give students more than just a meal”.
“Our focus is on providing safe, secure facilities in a fun environment, supporting both the social and academic needs of students whilst away from home.”
Students can take in the Sydney skyline from the rooftop terrace, or enjoy Darling Square’s cinema, games room, iMac zones and gym.
A twin bedroom with ensuite starts at $560 per person per week, while a single bedroom with ensuite starts at $646. Prices include all meals at The Eatery, water, electricity, contents insurance and 100GB of wireless internet.
Buildcorp has now delivered three Urbanest student accommodation projects valued at $155 million. Completion of the $58 million Darling House was fast-tracked with building information modelling and prefabricated bathroom pods.