Burnet Point, Abbey Lane, Edinburgh

Located on Abbey Lane, Burnet Point is Unite Students’ first combined development of purpose-built student accommodation, build-to-rent flats and affordable housing, and it is set to become one of their lowest carbon new-build properties.

The BREEAM Excellent development offers 298 student bedrooms, 66 build-to-rent flats, and 17 affordable homes. Residents can also enjoy communal indoor and outdoor spaces, as well as landscaped roof terraces, all designed with sustainability at the heart using low-carbon concrete and timber composite materials. The Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) for Burnet Point demonstrates that using low-carbon concrete mixes in both the substructure and superstructure has been effective in reducing the building’s carbon footprint.The results show strong performance against industry benchmarks for both upfront and total embodied carbon, including the UKNZCBS and RICS standards. 99% of waste was diverted from landfill during the project and a Biodiversity net gain of 254% was achieved due to extensive landscaping, mature tree planting, wild flower green roof and installation of bird, bat and swift boxes.