In the centre of Bristol, two towers are rising slowly into the sky.
St James House, a new development now under construction in southwest England’s largest city, will consist of one 28-storey building to house students and another 18-storey “co-living” block aimed at young professionals.
The purpose-built student accommodation (PBSA) tower will become the dominant feature of a city centre skyline that has historically remained relatively modest in scale.
It will also tie Bristol, a city with a rich and often dark dual history of both mercantile capitalism and radical activism, to Israel, pro-Israeli lobbying in the UK and the genocide in Gaza.
Funded by the real estate investment firm Cain International, together with Menora Mivtachim, one of Israel’s largest pension and insurance groups, the scheme is typical of a city where global capital has been increasingly flowing into office developments, build-to-rent flats and, especially, student accommodation.
