To mark World Earth Day on 22 April, we take a look at some of the ways the new Temple Quarter Enterprise Campus (TQEC) will contribute to the University’s overall sustainability goals.
In 2019, the University of Bristol became the first University to declare a climate emergency. Since then, we’ve been making significant and rapid changes to our existing estate and processes, working to reduce our carbon emissions.
The Temple Quarter Enterprise Campus presents a further opportunity to show our commitment to the environment, demonstrating how we can innovate and grow responsibly and sustainably.
The main academic building – ‘CM1’
The main academic building is 38,000m2 and stretches over five floors. It has been designed to achieve the industry rating BREEAM Excellent (BREEAM is the world’s leading science-based suite of validation and certification systems for a sustainable built environment).
Much of the interior of the building has been designed to be shared by students, staff and external organisations. Multipurpose spaces increase the building’s efficiency and reduce the chances of the spaces being left empty. The ambition of ‘Twilight Temple Quarter’ is to host events and activities outside of normal teaching hours for a range of people, furthering opportunities for the space to be well used. This initiative is currently in the planning stage.
An extensive public realm will surround the main building. Landscaping and tree planting plans have been carefully considered to provide a welcoming and biodiverse environment, with a central hub space to allow for activities and events. Situated on the banks of the River Avon, views of the harbourside will be seen from many angles. In the heart of the space, the University Square will link the campus to the new entrance at Bristol Temple Meads station.
Research Facilities
The Bristol Digital Futures Institute (BDFI) and MyWorld have a new home in what is currently known as ‘The Sheds’. The renovated industrial buildings on Avon Street once made up the headquarters of the Bristol Gas Company and a Coal Shed.
As a place for innovation since its inception, these buildings are now home to carbon reduction technologies and practices, known as the Sustainable Campus Testbed. This suite of net zero facilities will make the restored 200-year-old building more sustainable and deliver new research capabilities.
Find out more about these innovative facilities on the BDFI blog.
Bristol Dental School
The Bristol Dental School’s new purpose-built facility is a refurbished office building on Avon Street in Temple Quarter. By prioritising the reuse of an existing space, the University made a sustainable choice and significantly reduced the environmental impact of the school’s relocation.
Much of the furniture and equipment was also reused. This includes:
- the carpet on the 5th floor office (approximately 1500m2 of carpet tiles) from NatWest, previous tenants;
- office desks and chairs on the 1st, 4th and 5th floor office spaces, also from NatWest;
- second-hand lockers from Vodafone (coming from another project that the Campus Development Team were working on).
Explore the new home of the Dental School.
A connected campus
TQEC is located next to Bristol Temple Meads Station. It sits at the heart of the wider redevelopment of Bristol Temple Quarter – one of the UK’s largest regeneration projects.
Our new campus will be car-free, except for designated accessible parking. The new Eastern Entrance at Bristol Temple Meads will open directly onto the campus, and the station itself is currently undergoing significant regeneration which will improve sustainable travel options for students, staff and visitors.
Enhanced walking and cycling routes will surround the area, including via the new Floating Harbour walkway currently in development. The facilities include extensive bike storage as well as changing and drying rooms for cyclists.
Teams in Campus Division are currently working on proposals for the full transport plan. The area has multiple existing bus routes and the full scope of appropriate further services is being determined.