Vita Student New Waverley PBSA Topping Out

— Sep 22, 2025, 4:00:58 PM by Sarah Watt

Vita Student’s New Waverley team celebrate a significant construction milestone with the topping out of the Vita Student PBSA development in Edinburgh.

Bringing together key project stakeholders, including senior representatives from McAleer & Rushe, Vita Group and Puma Property Finance, the ceremony marked the structural completion of the development, which will deliver a 267-bed Vita Student residence in time for the 2026 academic year.

Representing the fifth project McAleer & Rushe have undertaken as part of the £240m New Waverley regeneration masterplan, the scheme is transforming a brownfield site to cater for Edinburgh’s growing need for more student accommodation.

Once complete, Vita Student New Waverley will feature amenities such as a state-of-the-art gym, social and study spaces, as well as Vita Student’s industry-leading customer experience which has been designed to help students maximise their university experience and ‘Begin Big.’

The new scheme will be the third Vita Student residence in Edinburgh, joining established sites at Fountainbridge and Iona Street.

Mark Diamond, Senior Director at McAleer & Rushe said: “We’re delighted to celebrate this important milestone and reflect on the collective efforts of our partners, project team and valued supply chain in bringing this landmark development to life. We look forward to completing the scheme to the highest standards, creating a first-class living environment for students in Edinburgh while continuing to deliver lasting investment into this vibrant area of the city.”

Max Bielby, Chief Operating Officer for Vita Group said:“We’re proud to celebrate the topping out of Vita Student New Waverley, marking a significant step forward in delivering our third residence in the city. Edinburgh is home to a thriving student community, and this development will provide much-needed high-quality accommodation designed to support student wellbeing and success. This milestone also reflects the strength of our trusted partnership with McAleer & Rushe, as together we continue to create outstanding student living environments across the UK.”

Vita Student New Waverley will be opening in September 2026.

Project Team

CDA team: Catriona Gray, Michael Dargo, Phil Kingan, Jamie Sansbury, Cristiano Pintani, Nathan Retallick, Maria Zerebilo

Client, Owner & Developer: Vita Group
Investor: Puma Property Finance
Contractor: McAleer & Rushe
Architect: CDA
Project Manager: Gleeds
Planning & Heritage Consultant: Turley
Structural Engineer: Ian Black Consulting
M&E Engineer: Caldwell Consulting / Henderson Warnock 
Fire Engineer: Jensen Hughes
BREEAM Consultant: DSSR
Landscape Architect: re:form