Humanities Building, University of Bristol

EJ McGrath was appointed directly by the University of Bristol as main contractor to deliver the external public realm around its newly extended Humanities Building on Woodland Road, including the building’s internal courtyard.

The brief

The University wanted a coherent, high quality landscape setting for the completed building: new courtyards, entrances, steps and circulation routes that tied the contemporary works back into the historic villas, while keeping the surrounding campus open and in use throughout. EJM held the contract directly with the University and self-delivered the groundworks and hard landscaping, with specialist subcontractors for the balustrade, lighting and soft-landscaping elements.

What we delivered

The works were set out across nine zones covering the entrance courtyards, the Level 0 inner courtyard, the main entrance, the driveway and the cycle and motorcycle parking areas. Scope included:

• Groundworks and excavation, with new drainage, gullies, linear slot drains and manhole works
• Reinforced in-situ concrete stairs, retaining walls and foundations
• Hard landscaping in concrete paving, tactile paving, and granite-aggregate setts and kerbs
• Heritage stonework, rebuilding and repointing Brownstone walling and laying dressed Pennant stone paving to match the existing villas
• Brick and blockwork planting and retaining walls with stone copings
• Resin-bound and coloured tarmac surfacing to the footpaths and driveway
• Frameless laminated glass balustrades, handrails and gates
• External lighting supply and installation, including recessed LED fittings set into the stone walls
• Street furniture, planters, benches, cycle stands, bollards and tree grilles

Working around a live building

The building was occupied and the surrounding streets stayed in use, so the works were carefully phased and access kept clear at all times. Where the paving programme was extended, EJM laid temporary surfacing to maintain a safe fire-escape route from the building and to protect raised services, keeping the site safe for building users throughout.

The outcome

EJM handed over a finished external realm that blends contemporary paving, lighting and glazed balustrades with restored heritage stone, completing the setting for the University’s Humanities Building.