Construction milestone reached at University of Bristol’s new Temple Quarter campus

The main construction phase of the flagship building at the University of Bristol’s new Temple Quarter Enterprise Campus has been completed ahead of its planned opening in September.

The 38,000 sq m building, located next to Bristol Temple Meads, will now move into its final fit-out phase over the next four months.

Principal contractor Sir Robert McAlpine will continue supporting the University as final touches are completed and furniture, equipment, staff and students are moved into the new campus.

The University of Bristol bought the site from Bristol City Council in 2017. It later demolished the derelict former Royal Mail Sorting Office in 2019, a building which had stood empty for more than 20 years.

When open, the Temple Quarter Enterprise Campus will act as a new front door to the University and provide a base for teaching, research and innovation across areas including business, digital engineering, artificial intelligence, quantum technologies and enterprise.

The campus is also set to open alongside a new eastern entrance to Bristol Temple Meads, the region’s largest transport hub. The entrance will connect directly to the campus through a new public space called University Square.

A new harbour walkway, funded by the West of England Mayoral Combined Authority, will also connect University Square to Temple Quay, creating new walking and cycling routes in the area.

Sustainability has been a key part of the project. The building has been designed to achieve a BREEAM Excellent rating and is connected to a district heating network to help reduce energy demand and carbon emissions.

Lower-carbon construction methods have also been used, including eco-concrete.

The University said the project has delivered significant local benefits during construction, with more than 50% of the workforce locally employed and local suppliers used throughout the build.

Materials and services sourced from the region include 500 sq m of rooflights from Gloucestershire, metalwork from Bristol, yellow stairs from Taunton, and architecture and engineering practices from Bath.

The construction phase has also supported 3,940 waged training weeks, 68 on-site work experience placements, more than 3,500 weeks of in-work training for over 100 apprentices, and 80 local jobs for new entrants to construction.

The project has also included local school visits and the launch of a Design, Engineer, Construct learning programme with IKB Academy in Keynsham.

Professor Judith Squires, Deputy Vice-Chancellor and lead for the Temple Quarter programme at the University of Bristol, said the completion of the main construction phase was a major milestone.

She said:

Today marks a major milestone in our drive to create a vibrant new connected campus in the heart of the city. Thanks to the fantastic work of Sir Robert McAlpine and our University colleagues we remain on budget and on schedule for our September opening.

It’s inspiring to see our new building come to life and I’m hugely grateful to everyone who has worked so hard to get us to this point. I look forward to welcoming students, innovation and community partners and staff to join us in our new campus in September.