News / Temple Quarter Enterprise Campus
One year to go for opening of ‘pioneering’ new campus
“We’ve just developed a new international strategy, which is both Bristol going out into the world and the world coming to Bristol,” said professor Evelyn Welch, vice-chancellor of the University of Bristol, overlooking the under-construction Temple Quarter Enterprise Campus.
She added: “It’s on time. It’s on budget,” as the countdown began for the opening of the £500m campus in 12 months’ time.
As an anchor resident of the Temple Quarter Regeneration Zone – the largest brownfield regeneration district in the country, spanning some 135 hectares – the Temple Quarter campus promises to be a pioneer in innovation, community engagement and academic excellence.
The city’s press was given a preview of what is to come with a guided tour of the six-storey complex, joined by professor Welch and professor Judith Squires, deputy vice-chancellor and lead for the Temple Quarter Programme.
Professor Welch, vice-chancellor at the University of Bristol and professor Judith Squires, deputy vice-chancellor and lead for the Temple Quarter Programme during the guided tour around the site
The project, in the pipeline since 2016, broke ground in 2023 under lead contractor Sir Robert McAlpine and is on track for completion in time.
Once home to the Royal Mail sorting office next to Bristol Temple Meads station, the site is now a towering six-storey, 38,000 square metre building, where more than 450 people are working on site daily.
Speaking to Bristol24/7, professor Welch said: “This is a hugely significant location for both the University and the city of Bristol. We are proud to be the anchor tenants of one of Europe’s largest regeneration projects.
“The site itself was once the old Royal Mail sorting office, left derelict for decades. Working closely with the city, we’ve been able to transform it into something future-focused that will benefit not only our staff and students, but also local community groups.”
Some 450 people are working on site daily for the planned opening in September 2026
The new university site has been designed as a “porous campus”, with an emphasis on community engagement. Local people will be able to enjoy the new spaces, including commissioned artworks by local artists and landscaped green areas, with some 130 new trees being planted.
Welch continued: “This campus is designed to be for everyone. On the ground floor, we’ll have the Bristol Rooms – a space dedicated to community engagement, where local groups can work alongside staff and students to tackle real-world challenges.
“It will also be a hub for business and enterprise, with spaces reserved for companies of all sizes, from start-ups to our own spinouts. Our vision is for this to be a place where business, community, research and education come together in a truly symbiotic way.”
Standing next to Platform 15 at Bristol Temple Meads – completed in 2024 – the campus will be directly connected to transport links, allowing people to walk straight from the train into the university rather than commute from further afield.
The campus stands next to Platform 15 of Bristol Temple Meads station
The campus will also be at the heart of wider research and development hub, hosting Bristol Business School, the Bristol Innovations Zone – a dedicated space for around 300 enterprise partners offering skills training, alongside the Bristol Digital Futures Institute (BDFI) and Science Creates, a specialist tech incubator for fintech startups.
In September 2026, the University of Bristol will mark a triple celebration: the opening of the Temple Quarter Enterprise Campus, the launch of its Mumbai campus and the 150th anniversary of the university itself.
Once home to the Royal Mail sorting office next to Bristol Temple Meads station, the site is now a towering six-storey, 38,000 square metre building
Welch concluded: “What connects all three is our commitment to providing the highest-quality education, shaped to the needs of each place.
“Both Bristol and Mumbai need graduates who can think about the future and use AI as a tool rather than be replaced by it.
“We’ll offer similar programmes in both cities, but with experiences rooted in their unique contexts. Together, they’ll form one vibrant community of researchers and students – part of an institution with 150 years of history and also the newest kid on the block.”
The 100m-long passage way of the new campus
The new campus is expected to complement the university’s Barton Hill Micro-campus and the recently opened Hartcliffe and Withywood Micro-campus, in its civic engagement efforts.
Professor Judith Squires, lead for the Temple Quarter Programme, said: “We want this campus to feel like a genuine welcome to our civic partners. That’s why we’ve designed it to be porous – with no barriers to entry – so people feel invited in.
“The ground floor will be a space of inclusion, where civic partners, students, researchers, and industry can come together and interact. Our aim is for this to be a campus for the city, a place where the University of Bristol truly opens itself up to engaging with Bristol.”
Among the innovative features of the new campus, which includes cutting-edge laboratories, sensory study areas, is a circular lecture theatre, equipped with television screens around its entire circumference, providing a 360-degree view of the lecture no matter where one sits.
Temple Quarter Enterprise Campus will host some 4,600 students and 650 staff when it opens in September 2026
Temple Quarter Enterprise Campus will be the home to some 4,600 students and 650 staff when it opens in September 2026.
The wider Temple Quarter Regeneration Zone is expected to deliver 22,000 new jobs and 10,000 new homes and a £1.6bn annual boost to the regional economy.
All photos: Milan Perera
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