{"id":512226,"date":"2025-02-17T09:45:47","date_gmt":"2025-02-17T09:45:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.constructionnews.co.uk\/?p=512226"},"modified":"2025-02-14T11:46:06","modified_gmt":"2025-02-14T11:46:06","slug":"academic-excellence-in-bristol","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.constructionnews.co.uk\/project-reports\/academic-excellence-in-bristol-17-02-2025\/","title":{"rendered":"Academic excellence in Bristol"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

Project title:<\/strong> Temple Quarter Enterprise Campus \u2013
\nTQA1 Building
\nClient:<\/strong> University of Bristol
\nArchitect:<\/strong> Feilden Clegg Bradley Studios
\nMain contractor:<\/strong> Sir Robert McAlpine
\nRC frame:<\/strong> Toureen
\nM&E:<\/strong> NG Bailey
\nCladding panels:<\/strong> FKN Facades
\nPrecast concrete:<\/strong> Techrete
\nStructural steel:<\/strong> Elland Steel
\nPrefabricated stairs:<\/strong> Taunton Fabrications
\nGroundworks:<\/strong> Churngold Construction
\nContract value:<\/strong> \u00a3266m
\nContract type:<\/strong> JCT 2016 Design and Build
\nStart date:<\/strong> April 2023
\nCompletion date:<\/strong> Summer 2026<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Sir Robert McAlpine is working on a scheme in Bristol that is set to transform the city \u2013 and hopefully the future of some of its youngest residents<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

If tower cranes on the skyline are the bellwether of a city\u2019s financial wellbeing, then Bristol certainly seems to be enjoying a period of rude health. A stroll through its centre sees plenty of them standing sentinel over Bristol, reminiscent of the ship masts that once graced this great port city.<\/p>\n

Wander a few hundred metres in the direction of the city\u2019s Temple Meads railway station and there is a cluster of three cranes, busily feeding one of the first projects in a wider redevelopment scheme that is likely to anchor the region\u2019s built environment sector for years to come.<\/p>\n

It is here that a team from Sir Robert McAlpine<\/a> is working on the Temple Quarter Enterprise Campus, a major development for the University of Bristol. The scheme will provide academic facilities alongside commercial space, public realm improvements and student accommodation.<\/p>\n

The university\u2019s vision is to transform its relationship with businesses and communities across the region and further afield, becoming a catalyst for the creation of a world-renowned innovation district.<\/p>\n

Key to this vision is the delivery of the Temple Quarter Academic 1 (TQA1) Building \u2013 a six-storey, 38,350 square metre reinforced concrete-framed structure that is set to become the centrepiece of the overall scheme. Once in full operation, it will provide academic facilities to 4,600 students and 650 university staff, and serve as an innovation hub for businesses across the South West and beyond.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt is an exciting project to be involved in,\u201d says Peter Munn, project director at Sir Robert McAlpine, as he gazes out over the busy site. \u201cThis is a substantial development for the future of the University of Bristol and it\u2019s great to be playing our part in its delivery.\u201d<\/p>\n

It has taken a while to get to this point in the delivery process. Thanks to various outside factors such as the Covid pandemic and tightening economic constraints, the team has benefited from a three-year lead-in period through a preconstruction services agreement. This has enabled all stakeholders in the project team to refine and evaluate the development to such an extent that the client has labelled it a \u2018no-change\u2019 scheme \u2013 meaning that as far as the University of Bristol is concerned, there will be no diversification from the design, even down to the smallest detail.<\/p>\n

The building itself sits on the former site of a Royal Mail delivery and sorting office that took advantage of its location directly alongside Temple Meads railway station. This reinforced concrete building was demolished in a separate contract, leaving a legacy of a backfilled basement box with piled foundations in situ.<\/p>\n

This forced the TQA1 team to develop a technically tricky ground engineering solution for the new building. In those areas where piles were required to thrust through the backfilled basement, specialist contractor Bachy Soletanche drilled 1,100mm diameter cores that themselves were then backfilled using lean mix concrete. The 900mm diameter continuous flight auger (CFA) piles were then installed through this concrete and into the underlying alluvial clay rockbed at depths of 28 metres beneath. In total some 550 CFA piles have been placed across the site.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe carried out tests and surveys to locate the piles for the Royal Mail building and were able to avoid those. There were pours of 500 cubic metres of concrete for the pile caps \u2013 around 9,000 cubic metres in total,\u201d says Munn.<\/p>\n

Once the piles and ground floor slab were installed the team could move on with the frame. The building has a predominantly reinforced concrete frame, although this was not always meant to be the case. \u201cWe carried out some value engineering work and looked at the frame. It had initially intended to be a steel-frame building because of the large spans involved in some areas. We reevaluated and recognised there was lots of redundancy designed into that. By reducing the grid size to 7.5 metres we realised we could maintain its design requirements and also build using reinforced concrete,\u201d explains Munn.<\/p>\n

Working alongside concrete supplier Heidelberg Materials (formerly Hanson), the team has used Hanson EcoCrete \u2013 a low-carbon concrete that replaces some of the mix\u2019s cement content with ground granulated blast-furnace slag (GGBS). This reduces the overall embodied carbon dioxide within the concrete by around 250 tonnes, and helps minimise the building\u2019s carbon footprint.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe GGBS content means there are longer cure times for the concrete. We worked through several mix designs but we estimate we have saved around 2,500 tonnes of carbon dioxide by using EcoCrete in the frame and groundworks,\u201d says Munn.<\/p>\n

Where the longer spans are required, the team has installed 1.5 metre-deep, 15 metre-long steel trusses to accommodate them. These account for the 170 tonnes of structural steel Elland Steel Structures installed within the building and are supported on steel columns which are clad in a sleeve of concrete, helping them tie in with the rest of the concrete frame solution.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe client wanted to keep the overall look of the building \u2018honest\u2019 and true to its construction. The soffits are all exposed and we used simple plywood-faced formwork to cast the bulk of the concrete,\u201d explains Munn.<\/p>\n

But that doesn\u2019t mean the team hasn\u2019t embraced offsite construction and prefabrication. The frame is set to be clad at ground floor level in 370 precast concrete panels weighing in at 3.5 tonnes and manufactured by Irish specialist Techrete. Above this, German producer FKN Facades is installing 1,270 unitised glazing and cladding panels. Running through the building are bright yellow steel statement stairs that have been fabricated offsite by local specialist Taunton Fabrications and lowered into position. On a breezy day in Bristol it is difficult not to admire the skills of the crane operator and installation team.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe have embraced offsite construction as much as we can on this scheme. With the number of [unitised and precast] cladding units \u2013 well over 1,000 \u2013 we have the repetition required. Our mechanical subcontractor NG Bailey has also prefabricated much of its work too,\u201d says Munn (see box, below).<\/p>\n

There is still some way for the Sir Robert McAlpine team to go before the TQA1 Building opens its doors to its first cohort of students \u2013 handover is anticipated in summer 2026 with an eye on the start of the academic year. But it promises to be a shining focal point for the Temple Quarter Enterprise Campus when it does.<\/p>\n

\n

Robots take over at Temple Quarter<\/h3>\n

\"\"The Sir Robert McAlpine project team is embracing offsite construction techniques at every opportunity and its mechanical and electrical subcontractor NG Bailey
\nis similarly enthusiastic about modern methods of construction.<\/p>\n

NG Bailey has prefabricated 1,250 riser, horizontal and plant-skid units at its offsite manufacturing facility for installation at the TQA1 Building, which Munn estimates has saved around 40,000 man-hours across the project.<\/p>\n

The project team is not just pushing technological boundaries with prefabrication. In keeping with the building\u2019s end use, Sir Robert McAlpine is using innovative techniques and systems on its construction. Robots are being used to pre-drill thousands of holes in the slab soffit from which the electrical trays will be fixed. In addition, Buildots \u2013 an automated AI project management tool that uses a hard-hat mounted camera to capture real-time data \u2013 is plotting the project\u2019s progression.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe have robots drilling 400 holes per day. By using robots we\u2019re eliminating any health and safety risk associated with the work and increasing productivity on site. The Buildots system enables us to keep an accurate real-time record of the project as it progresses. We use it to help the whole of the project team understand where we are on the programme, what might need attention and what has actually been installed. It is a very simple and accurate method and enables us to address any potential problems as they arise,\u201d says Munn.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

Back to school<\/h3>\n

With skills shortages affecting every facet of the construction industry, there\u2019s little doubt that the increased use of modern methods of construction and innovative technology can help contractors sidestep those issues to meet their developer clients\u2019 demands.<\/p>\n

However, it doesn\u2019t address the fundamental issue that not enough young adults view construction as a career-worthy sector.<\/p>\n

Sir Robert McAlpine has teamed up with the University of Bristol and local secondary school IKB Academy to deliver a structured programme that will help provide a pathway for students into the built environment sector.<\/p>\n

Its Design Engineer Construct (DEC) Programme is an accredited learning scheme that aims to promote and inspire the next generation of professionals into the construction sector. It will provide students from 13-18+ the opportunity to study for a DEC GCSE with further options at A level and T level that support access into the industry or higher education.<\/p>\n

\u201cAs an industry we don\u2019t get to the potential workforce at an early enough stage. This programme means we can get students interested in the sector at year 10 and help them understand the wide range of careers the sector supports,\u201d says Munn.<\/p>\n

Kerry Cruden, social value manager at Sir Robert McAlpine, adds: \u201cWe hope [the programme] will inspire students to look seriously at construction as a career\u2026 The Temple Meads Enterprise Campus has the opportunity to become a centre of excellence for the sector and we want to play our part in that.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Project title: Temple Quarter Enterprise Campus \u2013 TQA1 Building Client: University of Bristol Architect: Feilden Clegg Bradley Studios Main contractor: Sir Robert McAlpine RC frame: Toureen M&E: NG Bailey Cladding panels: FKN Facades Precast concrete: Techrete Structural steel: Elland Steel Prefabricated stairs: Taunton Fabrications Groundworks: Churngold Construction Contract value: \u00a3266m Contract type: JCT 2016 Design …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":82076,"featured_media":512244,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ep_exclude_from_search":false},"categories":[547,559,557,542],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n