Explore | News | Construction Contracts Signed for new University of Bristol Campus

Work on the University of Bristol’s new Temple Quarter Enterprise Campus – a total investment of around £500 million - will get underway next month after the University signed contracts with construction company Sir Robert McAlpine.

Opening in 2026, the campus at Cattle Market Road, next to Temple Meads Station, will enhance the University of Bristol’s reputation as a global destination for world-leading research, education and innovation.

The site will be home to 4,600 students and 650 university staff who will come together with business and community partners to tackle some of the world’s greatest challenges. Residential accommodation on Temple Island will provide living space for around 900 students.

At the heart of the campus, on the site of the former Royal Mail sorting office, a 38,000 sqm academic building will be home to the University’s Business School, digital engineering research groups, Centre for Entrepreneurship and Innovation, the Quantum Technologies Innovation Centre and provide dedicated facilities for enterprise and community partners.

Mike Keys, Partner at FCBStudios said" Temple Quarter Enterprise Campus is the most significant development in the recent history of the University of Bristol, and is set to begin on site. It represents a major engagement in the city, redeveloping a prominent, but long-derelict, brownfield site by Temple Meads Train Station, the chief arrivals point of the city. Through ecologically sensitive public realm, community engagement, and new city connections, the campus will become an integral part of Bristol and the significant regeneration to the east of the city.

The 38,000 sqm building will be home to three schools and three research institutes, and used by 4,600 students and 650 University staff. A rich variety of teaching and learning spaces, research laboratories, offices, hackspaces and workshops are enhanced by atria and winter gardens, social, dining, community and enterprise spaces. The building will welcome and actively engage local communities and partners.

Sited on a car-free campus and designed for long life and future adaptability, the building is rated BREEAM ‘Excellent’. The demolition spoil of the former building was reused to raise the ground level above flooding, while 50% of the building’s materials will be sourced from a 30 mile radius. Sensitive planting and habitat will support and nurture the ecology of the Floating Harbour. Approximately 22% of the building’s regulated energy consumption will be generated on-site from renewable sources, and a further 1,400 MWh will be exported annually to a new District Heating Network.”