Bowmer + Kirkland has started work on a £130m student accommodation scheme in Manchester – its largest value project in the sector.

The project is for client iQ Student Accommodation and will take two-and-a-half years to build.

It consists of interlinked towers ranging from 27, 21 and 16-storeys – the highest habitable floor being 121.6 metres above ground.

Bowmer + Kirkland’s North-west team started on site earlier this month to deliver the scheme which will consist of 1,224 student bedrooms, student clusters and common areas on the ground floor.

Standing next to Vimto Park and the Whitworth Street Conservation Zone, the project is at the gateway of Piccadilly and the North Campus of the University of Manchester.

Regional director Paul Sykes said: “Building on a successful and collaborative pre-construction process, we are delighted to be partnering with iQ Developments, one of the industry’s most reputable and forward-thinking PBSA developers, to deliver the long-awaited Echo Street scheme.

“Our experience as one of the North West’s most prominent contractors, has enabled us to work together with the project stakeholders to develop an outstanding development that achieves a holistic blend of functionality, sustainability, and architectural merit, which I’m sure students will be proud to call home.

“Not only this, but we will also benefit local people and communities through our commitment to apprenticeships, local employment, and social mobility.”

Student accommodation expert iQ Developments provides a home for more than 30,000 students across 76 sites in 29 cities.