On this page

• Learning, skills and education facilities
• Research and innovation facilities
• Spaces to meet and form connections
• Sustainability

Learning, skills and education facilities

The main building will provide space for up to 4,600 students from the Business School, Engineering and the Centre for Innovation and Entrepreneurship. It will be home to a range of flexible, inclusive and innovative learning facilities.

Active learning rooms throughout the building are designed for collaboration and participation. These spaces go beyond traditional lecture halls and seminar rooms by maximising opportunities for peer-to-peer engagement and encouraging students to listen, share, create concepts and identify solutions together. Study areas include a mix of silent, low-distraction and collaborative spaces, designed to suit the varied needs of students throughout the academic year.

The campus also provides innovative facilities for concepts and projects to be generated, tested and modelled. The Maker Space is a creative space to generate and model early ideas. The Design Factory includes a Hackspace and project labs – a suite of facilities that will enable ideas to be taken from concepts to final designs. Supported by design experts and industry partners, the space will enable the rapid iteration of new designs by a range of users.

Dedicated facilities for Executive Education will enhance the learning experience of professionals undertaking programmes to further their leadership careers. With state-of-the-art spaces adjacent to the region’s largest transport hub, executive learners will benefit from a flexible, dynamic and tailored study environment.

Research and innovation facilities

As one of the leading research-intensive universities, our facilities need to match the quality of our groundbreaking research. At TQEC, state-of-the-art facilities will not only amplify the work of our researchers but also foster collaboration with industry and the community, driving innovation together.

World-first equipment, cutting-edge laboratories, flexible workspaces and collaborative zones will facilitate the advancement of vital research in areas such as Quantum, Artificial Intelligence, Cyber Security and Creative Technologies, to name a few.

Research facilities will sit alongside dedicated spaces for Bristol Innovations – the University’s catalyst for innovation - the Business School, industry and civic partners. This will connect academics with business expertise and networks, boosting the potential to translate research into scalable commercial opportunities.

Across the canal from the main building, the TQEC Research Hub is home to pioneering research facilities such as:

• the Reality Emulator - a sector-agnostic digital twin facility for the co-creation of future digital solutions
• the Instrumented Auditorium - one of the world's most innovative cinemas, capable of monitoring audience reactions
• the Neutral Lab - a fully flexible and reconfigurable workspace that empowers interdisciplinary, cross-sector project teams.

Spaces to meet and form connections

The new campus has been designed to be both physically and psychologically welcoming. Four winter gardens throughout the main building provide spaces to unwind and boost wellbeing. These atrium spaces incorporate seating areas with foliage for either quiet contemplation or social interaction.

The café, food court, shop and Exchange Hall will be open to the public during operating hours. Much of the campus has been shaped in consultation with our civic and community partners. Dedicated spaces for co-creation include the Bristol Rooms - a co-working and project space - and the Story Exchange – a circular seating area designed to bring together expertise and experiences from a wide range of communities.

The campus will be porous, welcoming people to it and those travelling through it. The new Eastern Entrance at Bristol Temple Meads will open directly onto University Square. The development will improve access for people travelling between South and East Bristol and the city centre. An extensive, regenerated landscape around the campus will add to the city’s green spaces.

Sustainability

The campus will contribute to our sustainability goals and be the most sustainable part of our estate. The building includes renewable energy from solar cells, heat recovery and a biodiverse public realm.

The TQEC Research Hub is home to the BDFI Sustainable Campus Testbed. Innovative facilities implement smart sensor technologies in the public realm. They monitor and evaluate the use of native trees and bio walls for both carbon capture and improvements in interior air quality. A microgrid battery energy storage facility maximises our use of low carbon energy. Data centre sensors will help reduce the energy consumption of the building.  

Enhanced travel connections in the area include a new harbour walkway, improving cycling and pedestrian routes. The public realm will be an inviting space for people to use, with a range of trees and plants providing a welcoming and biodiverse environment.