Video and pictures: First look at Shrewsbury student halls of residence

The major project involves converting Mardol House, a redundant office block within the town's 50-year-old market hall complex, into a modern hall of residence for 86 students.

Contractor Willmott Dixon, which built the town's Theatre Severn six years ago, says construction work is progressing as planned.

"We're making fantastic progress and are already seeing the new accommodation take shape. We'll soon have given this important building a new lease of life," said Andrew Geldard, Willmott Dixon's head of communications.

The company is mid-way through the six-month building project, and it have begun giving guided tours to invited groups.

Telford College students, shopkeepers and traders from the adjoining market hall have all been shown around the

accommodation, which stretches over five floors above the Blacks store, between Shoplatch and Claremont Street.

The space, formerly occupied by the county magistrates court and Inland Revenue offices, has been empty for more than 15 years.

Shropshire Council has commissioned the project to provide purpose-built accommodation for the first intake of undergraduate students at the new University Centre Shrewsbury in the autumn.

Work began on March 16 and is on target for completion in mid September.

A 65-strong workforce is working on the project, two-thirds of whom are tradespeople employed by local sub-contractors who live within a 10-mile radius of the site.

The accommodation consists of 22 studio apartments with kitchenettes, 54 en-suite apartments, communal kitchen areas, four apartments adapted for students with disabilities and six residential apartments for postgraduate students.

Work will also include the renovation of a former caretaker's flat on the top floor as a two-bedroom penthouse apartment for a resident tutor, a laundrette - controlled by iPhones - a new ground-floor entrance hall and marketing suite with new stairs, a new lift and two internal fire escapes.

Workmen stripped the entire former office block of all of its internal walls and fittings, including solid concrete and brick and block walls, before work could begin on the refurbishment. They have installed new internal walls, windows, doors and services.

More than 500 tonnes of rubble has been removed from the building – all of it transported and processed for recycling – and around 2,000 tonnes of materials are coming in, including wall construction materials, doors, windows, kitchens and bathrooms.

Over three miles of new cabling has been laid.

All the new internal walls are now in place with two floors nearly ready for the installation of kitchens and shower rooms. Apartments on the upper floors have panoramic views across the town and the surrounding countryside.

Construction manager Gordon McCartin said it was a challenging project, not only in time scale, but working within the constraints of a busy town centre location and the restriction of a building with no ground-floor access.

"We've been working closely with the local business community to keep disruption to a minimum. Now we're inviting local businesses to come and take a look at the accommodation for themselves," he said.

"It has been a challenging job, new issues have been thrown up along the way but we have risen to it and dealt with them. We have four site managers working on this job as it is quite complicated. It is brilliant to be able to take an existing redundant building and transform it in to something usable. It is actually very exciting."

Claire Wild, Shropshire Council's cabinet member with responsibility for University Centre Shrewsbury, said: "I'm delighted with the progress of work to convert Mardol House into student accommodation.

"I'm really look forward to seeing the building once work is completed, and to then welcoming the first University Centre Shrewsbury undergraduates in September.

"Mardol House is the ideal location for student living accommodation, and housing students there will provide a huge boost to the Shrewsbury town centre economy."