Specialist property developer Fusion Students has completed its £30m-plus conversion of a former Bristol city centre office building into high-end student accommodation – the latest in a series of schemes that are transforming the area.
The former Froomsgate House on Rupert Street was acquired by Hertfordshire-based Fusion Students in 2013. 
The 15-storey, 91,300 sq ft building – the fourth tallest in Bristol – was built in 1971 and was previously occupied by a range of business tenants including accountancy group Target.
Now known as Fusion Tower, it has now been converted into upmarket accommodation for 480 students and is 100% let, mostly to those about the start new terms at the University of Bristol and UWE. Fusion has also added two further storeys.
As well as living space – studio rooms, three to six-bedroom apartments, studio flats and twin ‘two-dios’ – the building also includes open study rooms, breakout spaces, a private gym, games areas, a cinema, a laundry, a concierge service and off-street parking.
The design standards and façade upgrade works have earned the building a BREEAM Excellent rating. Photovoltaic panels have been incorporated into the design with the capability to connect to the Bristol’s pioneering district heating plant in the future. 
Fusion Students – part of the Fusion group of property companies – is developing further bespoke accommodation for more than 2,000 students in Cardiff, Newcastle and Nottingham. Its aim is to increase the total number to 10,000 by 2024.
Co-founder Warren Rosenberg said: “The Fusion experience goes beyond stylish buildings and luxury amenities.
“We strive to provide our residents with the new generation of design-led accommodation which is designed primarily around social spaces to appeal to the taste of modern-day students. Our first priority is positively improving the lives of our student residents.”
Fusion Students was advised on the Fusion Tower redevelopment by regional commercial law firm Thrings’ construction team, led by partner Eric Livingston and supported by associate solicitor Natalia Sokolov and solicitor Tyler Buckley.
Thrings drafted and negotiated a full suite of construction documents, including a bespoke JCT (joint contracts tribunal) building contract with main contractors VINCI Construction, consultant appointments, novation agreements and collateral warranties.
All negotiations of the documentation were also completed in accordance with the requirements of investment funder Cheyne Capital, which provided a committed development and investment loan facility of £22.35m to the property’s acquisition vehicle Fusion Froomsgate Ltd.
Eric Livingston, pictured, said: “Bristol remains a hugely popular learning destination, but while elite universities in the UK continue to attract record numbers of students, so expectations about the standard of accommodation continue to rise. 
“Fusion Tower reflects the growing demand for more superior quality accommodation as well as the changing requirements of the domestic and international student market.
“Students based in other parts of the UK and overseas who may find it difficult to visit university residences will also be able to view the living spaces online, which makes the process of securing high-end accommodation in Bristol reassuringly straightforward.
“Thrings is very pleased to be playing a part in the ongoing regeneration of Bristol city centre, and as a firm, we look forward to working with Fusion Students on its pipeline of development schemes in the student accommodation sector in the future.”
Other firms advising Fusion Students on the Fusion Tower redevelopment included Warrwick-based architects Corstorphine + Wright, Birmingham-based quantity surveyors McCreadies, and mechanical and electrical consultants Amber Management, based in Nailsea.
Fusion Tower is being managed by Oxfordshire firm Collegiate Ac, which also handles three upmarket student schemes in Bristol at Water Lane, College Green and William and Matthew House on Colston Street.
These are among the large number of city centre office buildings recently converted to residential accommodation. While many have been reconfigured to house students, others – such as the former 106,000 sq ft Lewin’s Place office block opposite Fusion Tower – have been transformed into luxury private accommodation. Flats at Lewin’s Place, now rebranded as Number One Bristol, have just come onto the market.
