International student moves into UPP's Eco Residence at Carnegie Village, Leeds Metropolitan University

Iwona Stawicka (shown in the image to the left), aged 30, is an international student from Poland who moved into Carnegie Village, a new UPP student accommodation development at Leeds Metropolitan University in 2009. Iwona, an MBA student, is one of the first people to live in the UPP ‘Eco Residence’ development, which includes sustainability measures and a town house block designed to ‘PassivHaus’ standards, meaning that conventional heating systems are not required. 

Highlighting that 'PassivHaus' buildings have been shown to achieve an energy saving of up to 90%, Iwona said: “It is very green, there is less pollution and that makes you feel very good. It is an en suite with a big window, so there is lots of light, and I have a big desk and a comfortable chair.” Explaining her experience of the accommodation as a whole, she said: “I feel very luck to study at Leeds Metropolitan University because it is one of the largest universities in the UK and not all universities have the same, comfortable, standards that they have here.

She continued, “It is very nice and modern and I feel safe, which is very important when you are studying abroad. There is security and a reception, and there are lots of little details that make it more interesting, like automatic doors. I like the salon spaces where we can watch TV, meet and talk and exchange ideas. I feel at home here, it’s on campus and near a library, and I have everything I need.”