David Russell Apartments
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The David Russell Apartments (or DRA), a large residential complex owned by the University of St Andrews was opened in its first phase in September 2003. It replaces, and was built on the site of, the former David Russell Hall (see seperate article). The first four blocks of the new DRA (Scott, Lindsay, Forbes & Haig) were completed in time for the University's Martinmas semester of 2003-2004 and are situated to the immediate east of the original DRH boundary. Up until Christmas 2003 students continued to live in the original DRH houses and shared a central facilities building dubbed the Strachan Suite with the four new DRA houses. In 2004, all remaining residents in DRH were transferred to other student halls in St Andrews and the original complex was razed to the ground. Building immediately commenced on the second phase of the new hall (incorporating Tulloch, Shairp, Lang, Herkless, Nisbet & Haldane houses) and all these were in use by the start of the 2005-2006 academic year, including the newly built central facilities block. The final phase, for the time being, (Eden, Dover & Hamilton houses) was handed over from the builders in September 2006 although cosmetic work around the site is still taking place on a gradual scale.
Incidentally, the majority of the names given to each of the new apartment blocks are the same as those used for the original David Russell houses. Although the University has effectively rebranded the David Russell Hall as the David Russell Apartments since the rebuilding, the old designation continues in regular use, for example on service buses, maps, public signage and even at the entrance to the David Russell complex itself.
The new hall is situated around fifteen minutes' walk from the centre of St Andrews, in East Fife, Scotland. The University rents rooms to conference guests during the golfing season, and to students outside that season at 75% of the in-season price.
The apartments have been built to be attractive to golfers so include en-suite bathrooms, double beds with television sets and kitchens with ovens and dishwashers, which remains an unusual 'luxury' in college residences. However, some students have complained about thin walls with poor sound insulation and that the layout of the apartments within each block does not contribute to students meeting each other and making friends. The central facilities building contains a reception and administration area, meeting rooms, gaming and music suites, a smaller branch of the B.E.S.S. run by the Students' Association, a large licensed bar and self-service bistro area.
On the 23rd of February, 2007, Chancellor Gordon Brown formally open the £34.7m David Russell Apartments. The hall was praised for its state-of-the-art environmental-friendly features. In 2006, DRA was the first university residence in the country to be awarded the Green Tourism Business Scheme's Gold Award. The development consists of a series of independent buildings clustered around central facilities overlooking a man made lake, which forms part of the sustainable urban drainage scheme. Uniquely, the building is topped by a grass roof, which acts as a heat insulator during the winter and a natural cooler during the summer months.
