Bristol Business School wins best ‘Student Experience’ award

26th October 2018
Bristol Business School wins best ‘Student Experience’ award

Bristol Business School for the University of the West of England has picked up the Education Estates award for ‘Student Experience’.

The 17,000sqm building, located in the ‘Heart Zone’ of the Frenchay Campus, provides a new home for the Faculty of Business and Law. The aim was to create a facility that building users want to inhabit outside of formal teaching sessions, encouraging greater interaction between students and staff.

Andrew Kingdon, Senior Associate Architect, commented:

This award means a lot to us. The building really was designed from the inside out, with the user experience (including students) as a key driver.

The development involved 300 members of staff across 5 departments, with student representatives involved throughout the project. All stakeholders were able to express their views and the University community had access to a blog that recorded progress and decisions.

The stakeholder consultation process was vast with over 70 presentations, workshops and site visits completed by the end of RIBA Stage 3 alone!

This approach has resulted in a live environment where staff and students and business work together – with collaboration at its core.

There are a wide range of teaching and learning spaces, with small private study rooms, large social learning zones, large café, lecture theatres, Harvard theatres, technology enhanced active learning environments and generous general teaching rooms furnished with collaborative group working furniture. Bridges at every level cross the atrium to provide connections between staff and student zones.

Café seating extends through the atrium area and users are encouraged to study, socialise and relax (naps included!) anywhere in the building that they feel comfortable.

Post-completion user satisfaction continues to be monitored as part of MY UWE BBS View a research project which allows building users to express their personal, emotional and sensory experiences of using the building via Instagram and Twitter. Please contribute using #myUWEBBSView.

 

Related posts