Recently, I had the *exclusive* opportunity join a tour of the new Temple Quarter Enterprise Campus. It is still an active construction site; however, I was able to see many of the new teaching spaces first-hand. Here are my three key thoughts I took away:
- This place is HUGE!
It’s very hard to gauge how massive this place is from pictures and floor plans. Every space I went into kept me in awe at the sheer scale of their size. In particular, the main foyer with the infamous yellow staircase seemed to stretch up forever, and it was especially cool looking down from the top (and a little scary!). It was also eye-opening to get to see the new ‘in the round’ lecture theatre up close. I knew it could hold up to 300 students, but this is hard to visualise until you’re there in person. Still, it’s very impressive how they managed to fit so many seats in without making the seating hierarchical or the space feel cramped.
2. So many unique spaces
The new lecture theatre is far from the only interesting teaching space in this new campus. I looked around many different types of spaces, each designed to suit a different need. There were active learning studios with movable screens and seating, large computer labs, open spaces for science and engineering practicals with adjustable plug sockets hanging from the ceiling, and many different individual and group study places dotted across the entire campus. As well as all of those, there were spaces for brand-new Student Union Living Rooms, including a kitchen, and an outdoor seating area. I’ve never seen so many unique rooms in one building before.
3. Integration with the professional world
Much of the campus will be used by real professionals alongside students, such as: the Story Exchange and collaboration spaces downstairs the main foyer area which acts as a public bypass to Temple Meads station, and; the upstairs conference rooms which are able to be booked out by companies. This will make the campus feel very integrated with the wider professional world, creating space for collaboration and career prospect opportunities. Furthermore, the campus having its own, newly-built entrance to Temple Quarter right outside the building will be great for travelling to and from the campus, whether that be from the other side of Bristol or from across the country.
Overall, the campus is really starting to take shape, and I couldn’t be more excited for its opening in a few months. After visiting the location myself, as well as talking with several students about their thoughts on the new campus, I am keen to support student’s transition to Temple Quarter, so keep an eye out for any future TQ-related information!
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