While we reflected on the past year and what we achieved (See our day 4 post about 2018), we thought it only fitting to look ahead for 2019 and beyond. And what better way than this piece written by our managing director David Campbell, which can also be found in our book: Shared Space.

‘The next few years will show some of our most compelling and challenging projects and building on what we’ve done to date. We have just started work on the iconic Park Hill estate in Sheffield with Urban Splash. This will undoubtedly take us another step forward, testing our abilities and continue to develop our ideas.

It’s working in partnership with local authorities, communities and stakeholders of all shapes and sizes and driving the place making agenda. It’s a huge compliment that people can see how our ideas around Art and cultural place making have really embodied key aspects of successful regeneration. It’s very rewarding that we’re seen as being capable, and a safe partner that’s able to table and take on a brief that’s not straightforward.

We are continuing to expand mixed use developments and are planning more projects outside the student accommodation sector. We were awarded the Colchester regeneration project, incorporating more public facing spaces as well as another project with Space Studios, the biggest project of its kind outside of London. We’re also building a hotel and there’s the sense that these are all proper game changing projects.

Again, we wouldn’t have been able to be involved in projects like this if we hadn’t demonstrated a strong track record and ethos in our approach. It shows how far we’ve traveled that a student housing company has been asked to get involved in projects that are game changers for our towns and cities. Of the projects coming forward, three or four are with local authorities and all are mixed use. Rather than taking a mono tenure viewpoint, we’re continually looking at a wider approach to regeneration, in transitional areas, in challenging parts of towns and cities with student housing often being the catalyst for positive change.

Our work in Norwich has already been very satisfying and we’re about to begin our third project there. It’s great going into a city and really being able to put forward our own ideas and for it to be received so positively. It’s very rewarding when we can genuinely see where our work is having a long lasting impact, and we are collaborating fully with the local authorities and their partners. This will leave a legacy in the city for many decades and generations to come. ‘

Here, at Alumno, we are very proud of what we have achieved so far and we are very excited about what we can achieve in 2019.

With a slight shift in the team and new prospects happening, new projects will be starting and taking shape, along with a changing office, 2019 is shaping up to be an interesting and challenging year for Alumno, but that’s what makes it exciting.