Technology

Posted on June 27, 2017 by staff

University of Bristol’s new £300m campus will focus on tech

Technology

The University of Bristol has unveiled plans for its new £300m campus – which will focus on tech and digital education.

Situated on the currently derelict area behind the city’s Temple Meads Station, the university is welcoming public opinion during planning, design stages.

Until July 7, there will be a series of exhibitions at Engine Shed and Beacon House where the initial proposal will be on display.

Known as the Temple Quarter Enterprise Campus, the development will be one of the city’s most significant regeneration projects in recent history.

Public consultation will run online to July 21.

The University will also expand its successful Engine Shed enterprise hub and build a new student village together with improvements to the public realm, including new cycle and pedestrian links to the surrounding area and high-quality landscaping.

Professor Hugh Brady, vice-chancellor and president at the University of Bristol, said: “We have been given a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to reimagine the future of our University as one of the world’s great civic universities while also transforming a key site at the heart of our city.

“Our new campus is very much a work in progress and we would welcome people’s feedback, on everything from education provision, research and innovation to community engagement and transport links.

“We don’t know exactly what it will look like yet, but we do know that we want it to feel welcoming to everyone and to be a place for the whole city to learn, explore and enjoy.”

Teaching and research on the seven-acre site, which spans the derelict former Royal Mail sorting office and part of Arena Island, will focus on digital technologies, their application by citizens, organisations and industry, and the innovation they drive.

Although designs for the campus are in their infancy and will be informed by the outcome of the consultation, there are ambitions to develop landmark buildings and public spaces.

There is also a strong focus on creating a welcoming space that belongs to the community, turning a brownfield site into an open campus which will benefit everyone.

Professor Dave Cliff, who is leading the academic side of the project, said: “The new campus will focus on the digital technologies of the future and the skills, ethics, business models and infrastructure that turn digital opportunities into jobs, wealth and wellbeing that benefits the whole of society.

“We are working with partners, large and small, to put innovation at the heart of our campus and to build a talent pipeline of creative graduates who embrace social responsibility as well as opportunity. These graduates will be prepared to tackle global challenges that we can’t yet imagine.”

A second round of consultation will follow in September before an outline planning application is submitted to Bristol City Council later in the year. Applications for individual buildings will follow, with further consultation in 2018/19.

Construction work is scheduled to get underway in 2019 and it’s hoped the campus will open in time for the start of the 2021/22 academic year.