McAlpine picked to deliver £500m Bristol uni campus

Sir Robert McAlpine has been chosen by the University of Bristol to deliver its £500m Temple Quarter Enterprise Campus scheme.

The new campus is to be built adjacent to Temple Meads station and is due to open in 2026. According to the university, the site will accommodate more than 4,600 students, as well as 650 university staff, and will enhance Bristol’s reputation as a “global destination for world-leading research, education and innovation”.

Plans for the site were revised in light of the COVID-19 pandemic, which not only led to the pausing of the development, but also reshaped the university’s vision for the campus.

Timelines for the build have been adjusted and some of the spaces in the main building have been redesigned to allow for greater flexibility in future usage.

The new academic building will accompany the university’s TQ Research Hub, which opened in 2022, at nearby Avon Street. Phase one of the Research Hub houses the university’s Bristol Digital Futures Institute (BDFI) for digital innovation. MyWorld, a University of Bristol-led programme for creative technologies, will join BDFI in early 2024.

In September, the university’s Dental School will move to new, purpose-designed premises on Avon Street.

The campus will also act as a catalyst for the wider redevelopment of Bristol Temple Quarter, which aims to create 22,000 jobs, 10,000 homes and purpose-built student accommodation developed by third-party providers.

Sir Andrew McAlpine, partner at Sir Robert McAlpine, said: “This state-of-the-art academic facility at the heart of Bristol Temple Quarter’s regeneration project will bring huge socioeconomic benefits to the city and the region.”

The Temple Quarter Enterprise Campus is expected to contribute an estimated £1.6bn per year to the city’s economy. 

The campus will also be accompanied by a refurbished Bristol Temple Meads station with a new entrance opening directly onto the campus, and the city centre will be joined to the east of Bristol with new walking and cycling paths.

In addition to student housing and teaching facilities, the campus will also act as a hub for local communities, who will be welcomed on site with a programme of weekday and weekend events.

Professor Evelyn Welch, vice-chancellor and president of the University of Bristol, said: “The Temple Quarter Enterprise Campus has been designed to meet the needs and nurture the aspirations of our students, staff and partners across the city and the wider region.

“It provides outstanding facilities to build on our collective strengths in research, innovation, learning and societal change. We are delighted to be working with Sir Robert McAlpine to bring these new facilities to life.”