Students from South Eastern Regional College (SERC) broadened their studies with a hands-on visit to the Loftlines housing development in Belfast.

Located in the Titanic Quarter, one of Europe's largest urban waterfront regeneration areas, the scheme is set to become a landmark mixed-tenure project, combining build-to-rent homes with affordable and social housing.

Simon Cummings, Deputy Head of School of the Built Environment at SERC, who accompanied the group, said: "This was an exciting site visit for our Level 3 Construction and the Built Environment and Level 3 Civil Engineering students as Loftlines represents Northern Ireland's first major build-to-rent project on this scale and the largest residential development in Belfast City Centre in 25 years."

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He added, "We were hosted by John Monahan and Pooja Moolya, both Design Managers with GRAHAM, who are constructing the development. The duo gave an overview of the construction through plans and models before escorting students on a walk about the site."

He said, "A visit such as this one to Loftlines is an invaluable part of our students' learning. They got to hear first-hand about the construction of the 778 residential units – a mixture of 627 build-to-rent and 151 social and affordable homes – with a project value of up to £175million."

He concluded: "The development's emphasis on sustainability and low-carbon design, including air-source heat pumps and pedestrian-friendly public realms, brings textbook learning to life for our students, many of whom will progress to higher education and eventually careers in the construction sector where they will be part of the team leading on such developments in the future."