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ATTENBOROUGH BOOST FOR BRISTOL SCIENCE
Britain's best-known naturalist Sir David At enborough has opened Bristol University's new £56.5m Life Sciences building
The renowned broadcaster and naturalist, whose career has spanned seven decades, saw fi rst-hand the world-class facilities for science research and teaching. Braving the driving rain to
at end the opening, Sir David said he was delighted to open the new facility, stating: "Nothing is more important than the study of life sciences for the future of our planet." The Life Sciences building is the
University of Bristol’s biggest construction project to date and will be the focal point for globally-leading research, needed to tackle the key challenges of the 21st century such as food security and environmental conservation. Work to construct the 13,500 square
metre iconic Life Sciences building, which is sited on the corner of Tyndall Avenue and St Michael’s Hill, began in July 2011 and has just welcomed its fi rst intake of students. A total of 2,000 people have worked on
the project, including 28 architects from 10 countries. Professor Sir Eric Thomas, Vice-Chancellor of the University of Bristol, said: “We’re delighted that Sir David helped us mark this signifi cant milestone in the University’s history. “Many of the most signifi cant advances
will come from the Life Sciences and it is fi t ing that Sir David joins us for the launch of this magnifi cent building, which will put Bristol on the map for world-renowned research and teaching in this area for years to come."
The building, designed by the architects Sheppard Robson and built by VINCI UK, forms a new landmark on the Bristol skyline and has a terrace with views across
the city. The exterior of the
building is home to a striking vertical garden, called a living
wall, which stands over 20 metres above
street level. It’s home to 11 diff erent species of plant, plus boxes for birds and bats, and creates the pat ern of a microscope image of algal cells. A high-tech greenhouse, known as
a GroDome, sits on top of the building and is capable of recreating tropical conditions thanks to controlled light, humidity and temperature. The Life Sciences building also has one of the largest teaching labs in the country, capable of teaching 200 students at once. There are multiple screens to ensure all students can see close- up what the lecturer is doing and moveable walls that can
change the size of the teaching space. A fi ve-storey laboratory wing boasts
acoustic chambers for bat research, an insectarium, labs for studying ant and bee behaviour, spectroscopy and microscope rooms. Research within the Life Sciences
building will not only focus on plant sciences and animal behaviour, but it’s also home to some of the country’s leading paleobiologists who are using the latest technology to learn more about dinosaurs and evolution. Biologists will join forces with
chemists, computer scientists, engineers, mathematicians and earth scientists to establish how lessons learned from nature can benefi t society. The fl agship project showcases the best in sustainable design and energy effi ciency. Heat from the laboratories’ ventilation systems is reclaimed and re-used, rainwater collected from the roof is used to fl ush the toilets, blinds lower automatically when the sun shines and lighting has been designed to avoid pollution of the night sky. The space around the building has also been redesigned. A new fl ight of steps from St Michael’s Hill to the Royal Fort has just been opened e ne
and landscaping will link the new Life Sciences building to the rest of the Royal Fort garden. One of the Wow! Gorillas – named ‘Going Going Gone’ – which was part of the trail set up to celebrate Bristol Zoo's 175th anniversary in 2011, will also live inside the Life Sciences building. UB
Images at the top of the page: Nick Smith
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