The Sloane Robinson Building opens alongside a new £23 million eastern entrance at Bristol Temple Meads train station, as well as a harbour walkway creating new walking and cycling routes.
The openings mark a significant milestone in the redevelopment of the wider Bristol Temple Quarter district – one of the biggest and most ambitious urban regeneration programmes in the country.
It is the result of long-term partnership. Today is the culmination of over a decade of collaboration across the region and nationally as Bristol City Council, the West of England Combined Authority (WECA), Homes England, University of Bristol and Network Rail, and, since 2024, Bristol Temple Quarter LLP, work towards a shared vision for the city and its communities.
World-class teaching and research across the £500 million new campus will focus on business, innovation, digital engineering, artificial intelligence, cyber security, advanced telecommunications and quantum technologies – fields that are not only advancing rapidly, but which will define the future of our economy and society.
The 38,000 square metre building, constructed by developers Sir Robert McAlpine, is specifically designed for inclusive, active learning. It includes the 300+-seat Bill Brown Lecture Theatre, one of a very few examples of an 'in the round' lecture theatre in the UK, designed to encourage debate and discussion.
Across the building, there are 22 Active Learning Studios, specially designed classrooms using shared screens and mobile furniture to help students work together and engage with real-world challenges alongside external partners.
Other unique spaces include:
- The Maker Space, a creative area for modelling early ideas and concepts
- The Design Factory, a cross-disciplinary space equipped with cutting-edge prototyping and design tools that you can usually only find in top manufacturing companies
- 20 specialist Bloomberg Trading terminals for financial training
- Three cyber security teaching suites
- Digital studios for creating and editing digital content
- Video recording pods to facilitate the production of high-quality video and audio content.
Replacing the derelict Royal Mail sorting office, which had stood vacant on the site since 1997, the Sloane Robinson Building is a new front door to the University and provides an inspiring space for around 4,500 students, 650 staff, industry and community partners.
The building is named after Bristol alumnus Hugh Sloane and the Sloane Robinson Foundation in recognition of their major £20 million landmark gift - the single largest donation the University has ever received from an individual donor.
The West of England Mayoral Combined Authority has invested £35 million in TQEC to establish a world-class deep tech innovation hub with new facilities, including the Bristol Innovations Zone, designed to connect industry, investors and innovators with University of Bristol research, talent and space.
The Bristol Innovations Zone will enable the University to expand its innovation capacity, creating the facilities, infrastructure and services needed to support industry collaboration in critical and frontier technologies in the region.
Building on the proven success of the Quantum Technologies Innovation Centre (QTIC), Engine Shed and SETsquared Bristol, it will also provide businesses with access to flexible co-working and event spaces, specialist labs and equipment, and innovation support services.
By opening this second campus in the city, the University will be far more embedded in Bristol than ever before. It will be an inclusive hub for local communities who will be welcome to use many of the facilities including cafes, civic spaces and the public landscape. The public are invited to see the campus for themselves at the University's 150th anniversary celebration events, taking place on Saturday 10 October.
Aside from the opening of the Sloane Robinson Building, the University will also be opening its first international campus in Mumbai, India on Thursday (10 September). The Mumbai Enterprise Campus has been designed to mirror TQEC's focus on innovation and industry partnerships, bringing people together in a thriving entrepreneurial ecosystem.
Professor Evelyn Welch, Vice-Chancellor and President of the University of Bristol, said: "This is not just an important day for the University of Bristol, this is an important day for the city of Bristol. We are delighted to open the doors to the Sloane Robinson Building as we mark our 150th anniversary and look towards the future.
"TQEC represents the next chapter in the transformation of Bristol and the West of England into a globally competitive innovation region, and a flagship example of how devolution can drive growth, inclusion and long-term prosperity.
"Later this week we also open our first international campus in Mumbai. At such an important time for the University, we are pleased to develop strong partnerships across the globe which will have meaningful impact, reaching learners and collaborators internationally."
Much of TQEC has been shaped in close dialogue with civic and community partners. Dedicated spaces to work on shared challenges include the Bristol Rooms and Story Exchange.
The Bristol Rooms is a signature space with a varied programme of activity which will bring academics and students together with business, public sector and community organisations to tackle real-world challenges.
From October regular sessions will include work on health inequalities, a business-focussed book club covering topics from employment to climate change, an open mic session for local people who use assistive technologies for creative expression, digital innovation students working with communities to prototype live projects, and ongoing conversations about reparative justice.
These civic spaces will complement and work in closely with the University's micro campuses at Barton Hill and Hartcliffe and Withywood, both of which are designed to bring a wide range of university activities to more communities including, at Hartcliffe, a new university-accredited micro-qualification created with local people to fit around family and work lives.
The Sloane Robinson Building is also home to three public art commissions which have been led by Bristol-based artists and have involved local fabricators, partners and communities in their creation. This includes a specially designed commission inspired by traditional railway station departure boards by local artists Wood and Harrison which will be in the main Exchange Hall. In addition, Wild Spaces has seen local children from Hartcliffe create a film inspired by the riverside ecology around the campus site and Charting Change has been exploring the area’s industrial heritage alongside its technological futures.
Professor Judith Squires, Deputy Vice Chancellor and University lead for the Temple Quarter Enterprise Campus, added: "What began as an ambitious vision has become a place where students, researchers, businesses and communities come together to learn, discover and collaborate, creating lasting impact for Bristol, the region and beyond.
"For too long, this part of the city has been divided by physical barriers. Today, those barriers are giving way to new connections: connections between neighbourhoods, between people and opportunity, and between communities and one of the most exciting innovation districts in the country. I cannot wait for our staff, students and local communities to step inside and experience what we have created together."
Helen Godwin, Mayor of the West of England, said: "Our investment in Bristol Temple Quarter, including the Temple Quarter Enterprise Campus and brand-new entrance for Brunel's iconic railway station, will unlock a giant leap forward for the West of England. This major milestone here in the country's fastest-growing regional economy will help pave the way for tens of thousands of new homes and new jobs."
Sustainability has been a guiding principle throughout the project. The building is designed to achieve a BREEAM 'Excellent' rating and is connected to a district heating network to reduce energy demand and carbon emissions. Lower-carbon construction methods, including the use of eco-concrete, have also been adopted. On the roof are more than 750 solar panels and the campus is surrounded by a new public landscape which has been thoughtfully planted with over 130 mature trees and habitats that support biodiversity.
Other University of Bristol facilities at TQEC include The Sheds at nearby Avon Street – home to the University's Bristol Digital Futures Institute (BDFI), which is pioneering transformative approaches to digital innovation, and MyWorld, a University of Bristol-led programme for creative technologies. And the University's Dental School, which moved to a new purpose-designed premises on Avon Street in 2023.