Construction firm BAM has completed building work on a new engineering block for the University of the West of England.

Located on their existing campus in Bristol, the new building provides teaching and research facilities for more than 1,600 undergraduate and post graduate students along with 100 academic and technical staff.

The new facility will enable UWE Bristol to become one of the top schools of engineering in the country. Attracting a diverse and innovative student body to the engineering profession and helping to address the skills gap. It will also allow them to meet the emerging demand for engineering degree apprenticeships.


The building is designed to deliver the university's vision for 21st century engineering and its new vibrant practice based curriculum. It is organised around a central atrium containing social learning spaces, workshops, laboratories and a 'design' space, to encourage a multi-disciplinary and collaborative approach. Facilities include engine test cells, wind tunnels and dedicated rooms for specific engineering disciplines such as composite manufacturing, machining and metrology.

Spread over three storeys, the building is constructed out of structural steel frame, with an in-situ concrete ground floor and precast concrete upper floors and stairs. The full height atrium brings lots of natural light into the building, which is finished inside with glulam timber cladding. On the exterior, a striking copper coloured façade has been created using Corten cladding.

Multiple stepped floor plates will give the university the flexibility to reconfigure spaces to meet future needs, demonstrating the faculty’s commitment to sustainable practice. The building is also hoping to achieve a BREEAM excellent rating.

Delivered through the Southern Construction Framework, the project meets the BIM Level two standards for the design, construction and operation of the building.