Dominus

Adaptive reuse, social and environmental benefits have always been a key focus for our team. An example of this in action is at Great Tower Street, our next project spotlight. Our plans embody our commitment to creating exceptional, sustainable spaces in the heart of London. In a prime position in the historic Square Mile, this former RBS headquarters, not fit for the modern needs of the workplace, will become a state-of-the-art hotel that contributes to the City of London Corporation’s “Destination City” initiative. Having previously been a largely vacant office space, the building will be transformed into a 237-room boutique hotel, embracing a retrofit approach that retains 100% of the building’s substructure and 70% of its superstructure and façade. Our goal is to achieve a BREEAM Excellent rating through upgrades to the building’s envelope, efficient systems, and renewable energy via rooftop PV panels. The hotel will not only provide a high-quality visitor experience, bolstered by the team at Studio Moren, but also create social and environmental benefits. The design enhances street-level activation along Great Tower Street and St Dunstan’s Hill, welcoming both guests and local visitors with publicly accessible ground-floor spaces, including a lounge and restaurant. In addition, the works will improve the setting of the St Dunstan in the East Church Garden for the local community to enjoy. We’re looking forward to seeing 5-10 Great Tower Street being used to its full potential once again as we bring the building ever closer towards its new chapter. #Dominus #Retrofit #Reuse #BREEAM #CityofLondon #GreatTowerStreet

We are proud to share that our plans for 65 Fleet Street have been approved unanimously by the City of London Corporation. In a joint venture with Cheyne Capital, this redevelopment is set to transform an existing office building into a landmark mixed-use space that brings student living, cultural heritage, and community assets together. Our plans for the site include over 850 high-quality student rooms, addressing the pressing need for student accommodation in London. Alongside, and in partnership with St Bride Foundation, we’re designing a new cultural space that celebrates Fleet Street's rich history in print and typography. We’re also preserving the Grade II-listed Tipperary pub, London’s oldest Irish pub, along with the historic Whitefriars Crypt, making these cultural icons accessible for future generations. Dominus and Cheyne are committed to achieving BREEAM ‘Excellent’ for this development, prioritising low-carbon, sustainable practices by reusing over 70% of the existing building structure. This project marks an exciting step in our growing student living portfolio, with schemes on site across London and others in the pipeline in Bristol and Glasgow. We look forward to delivering a vibrant, sustainable community at 65 Fleet Street, reflecting the legacy and future of this iconic location. You may read further about 65 Fleet Street planning consent approval here: https://shorturl.at/lrQQW #Dominus #StudentAccommodation #StudentLiving #PBSA #mixeduse #London

Next in our employee spotlight series is Zoe Huang, Development Manager. Zoe joined us in 2023, bringing 7 years’ experience in the student living sector working on projects from the ground up, delivering over 4,000 beds for students across the UK. Since joining us, she's been an instrumental part of the team - particularly whilst working on our Crutched Friars and Fleet Street schemes, both of which contributed to Dominus recently winning Developer of the Year at the Variety, the Children's Charity PROPS Awards. She's a guest lecturer at The University of Manchester and provides mentorship for its students, sharing her industry knowledge to inspire and inform the next generation of the built environment sector. #Dominus #StudentAccommodation #PBSA #Development 

As highlighted in Jay Ahluwalia's recent article in IPE Real Assets, the student living sector plays a crucial role in meeting the needs of a growing demographic, enlivening cities, and creating opportunities for investors. Research by UCAS, Knight Frank, and Unite Students suggests that by the end of the decade, there will be 1 million more applicants in a single cycle, a staggering 250,000 more than today. Other factors, such as dwindling university resources and housing market shifts, mean the supply demand imbalance continues to widen. The student living sector is therefore becoming increasingly attractive, with 65% of European investors planning to expand their portfolios. We too see this potential, and expect what is currently seen as ‘alternative’ to become a ‘core’ asset class before long. We have seven student living-led schemes currently under development, including 65 Crutched Friars and Holborn Viaduct in the City of London Corporation, and 181 Talgarth Road in Hammersmith & Fulham Council. Thank you to Razak Baba for allowing us to share our thoughts on student living market and the investment opportunities it presents. Read here for the full article: https://shorturl.at/Qeq5b #Dominus #StudentLiving #UniversityHousing #EducationInvestment #UKRealEstate

Huge congratulations to our exceptional General Manager at Hampton By Hilton Bath City, Angela Humble, for achieving an incredible milestone! She recently completed the London to Paris bike ride—a grueling 313-mile journey through diverse terrains and unpredictable weather—all in support of two wonderful causes. 🚴♀️💪 Angela’s dedication and resilience have been inspiring and thanks to her remarkable effort, she has already raised over £2,000 for Bowel Research UK and Friends of the RUH, making a real difference in the lives of those affected by bowel diseases and in supporting critical healthcare services. Learn more and to support these fantastic charities: https://lnkd.in/eA3zwbT3

Our 65 Crutched Friars scheme will create over 700 student homes in the heart of London. The development is designed to align with the City of London’s vision to maintain its position as the world’s leading hub for innovation, inclusivity, and sustainability.   With a focus on low-energy operations, the development incorporates cutting-edge sustainability features, including energy-efficient technologies, photovoltaic panels, air-source heat pumps, and low-carbon community infrastructure. 65 Crutched Friars is aiming for a BREEAM ‘Outstanding’ rating, setting a new standard for sustainable student living in London.   We are also proud to partner with the Migration Museum, delivering its first permanent home. Our commitment includes part-funding the 30,000 ft², three-storey facility, and providing a 60-year lease with no rent or service charges.   These are important values to Dominus—fostering both cultural and community engagement, while offering sustainable living spaces.   #Dominus #CityofLondon #StudentLiving #ProjectSpotlight #Sustainability #Culture #Placemaking #CrutchedFriars #MigrationMuseum

It’s encouraging to see Savills’ latest data on the UK hotel investment market, in that 2024 transactions have already exceeded 2023’s full-year activity - with an estimated £626m of deals completed in Q3 this year. Our Investment Director Sahil Khagram says “As we look forward to Q4, we’re confident in our ability to capitalise on opportunities; we’re in the midst of further transactions, we're actively engaging with leading hotel brands, and we continue to add key hires to our hotel operations team. We intend to continue this momentum.”

To start off our employee spotlight series, we wanted to showcase Lee Saywack, Executive Director, who ­has been part of Dominus since its formation in 2011. With twelve years of legal, development, and transactional experience, he continues to play a pivotal role. Lee is a strong advocate for the overall student experience and fostering a supportive, flexible, and inclusive environment. You can read more about his thoughts in this article: https://lnkd.in/gXKUGjqy Lee manages relationships with key stakeholders, negotiates and executes transactions, coordinates teams, and ensures our developments stay on time, on track, and on budget. Lee has a track record of delivering successful, significant developments across various asset classes. He also works across day-to-day operations and strategy implementation for the Dominus business. A qualified solicitor, prior to serving as Development Director, Lee was part of the Legal Team, where he managed negotiations, reviewed legal structures, and ensured compliance with policy and legislation. He holds an LLB in Law from Kingston University and a distinction in the Postgraduate Diploma in Legal Practice from The College of Law. Lee also advocates for improvements in planning law as a member of the Planning and Environmental Law Committee at the Law Society. #Dominus #London #RealEstate #Property #Law #PBSA #StudentAccommodation

Lost Property St Paul's, Curio Collection by Hilton has been shortlisted for the Sustainable Hotel Award at this year's Hotel Catey Awards, hosted by The Caterer, that celebrates excellence in the UK hospitality industry. Across the hotel, with its 144 beautifully designed rooms (15 of which accessible), we are committed to delivering luxury with a sustainable touch.   Our efforts include installing solar panels, a grey water system, and even increasing our rooftop beehive population to support biodiversity. We’ve reduced plastic use with bamboo key cards and refillable toiletries. Every step we take helps lower our carbon footprint and protect the environment.   At Found Restaurant, our all-day dining experience is shaped by locally sourced, seasonal ingredients. We proudly partner with local suppliers like MONMOUTH COFFEE COMPANY LIMITED and bakeries that align with our vision for a sustainable future. Our commitment to waste reduction is evident in initiatives like Too Good To Go, through which we’ve saved 856 meals, reducing 2.28 tonnes of CO2 emissions!   These achievements are not only thanks to our dedicated Green Team, who review our ongoing sustainability initiatives, but also to our valued guests who participate in programmes like opting out of daily housekeeping, saving thousands of litres of water every month.   We're honoured to be nominated alongside other well-known projects such as THE PIG Hotel | B Corp and The Hari, London. We wish everyone the best of luck and it’s fantastic that the industry has such a sharp focus on an important topic.   #Dominus #SustainableTravel #Sustainability #HotelCateyAwards24 #LostPropertyStPauls #EcoFriendlyHotels

Dominus is honoured to be part of Open House London this year, showcasing the incredible Migration Museum at 65 Crutched Friars. We are creating a new permanent home for the Migration Museum in a three-floor 30,000 sq ft free-to-enter space, as well as developing 782 student homes within an inclusive and community-centric destination, with a new pocket park and a public roof terrace.    Open House is your first opportunity to see the literal foundations of Britain's first permanent Migration Museum and hear about its journey - from a project conceived over a decade ago that worked in a range of locations; its first home in a London Fire Brigade workshop in Lambeth, to its longest temporary home in Lewisham Shopping Centre.   Tours will run on Saturday 14 September and 21 September. For booking information please visit: https://shorturl.at/dwxbS   #Dominus #OpenHouseLondon #MigrationMuseum #UrbanDevelopment #CommunityEngagement