Landmark new library for Bristol

It will provide an architecturally significant new building for the city, along with improved external public spaces.

The flagship building has been designed by a collaborative team formed by Schmidt Hammer Lassen, Hawkins\Brown and BuroHappold – companies behind some of Europe's top education and library projects.

The library will welcome students, staff and Bristol’s wider community by opening up the University of Bristol’s world-class cultural collections, which includes the University's Special Collections and the nationally renowned Theatre Collection. The ground floor will be fully open to the public and is designed to be accessible to all.

The building will accommodate learning and research space, with capacity for around 2,000 new study seats, approximately 420,000 books and 70,000 journals and new study spaces. There will be exhibition galleries open to the public, an events space, a programme of activities, new public art and a café, all of which will be open to the whole community.

While modern in design, the library will be built in natural stone to be in keeping with the historic nature of listed buildings nearby. It features a stepped design to integrate with the local built environment.

It will meet high sustainability standards, with a focus on natural light, a high level of energy efficiency, a low environmental impact, and green roof terraces.