University of Bristol: Designing the Campus of the Future at Tyndall Place

How Bristol reimagined its central precinct through the eyes of tomorrow’s students — blending insight, futures thinking, and student voice.

What’s the future of campus life?

As part of its long-term strategy for Tyndall Place — a key development in the heart of the city — the University of Bristol asked a bold question:
What do future students want from a university campus?

This wasn’t about more buildings or better Wi-Fi. It was about rethinking what a campus should be — a place where students learn, connect, feel safe, feel seen, and build their future.

“We didn’t want to guess what students might need. We wanted to ask them — and then act on it.”
— Director of Campus Development, University of Bristol

Our Approach

We worked with the University to run a deep, human-centred insight programme, designed to uncover student expectations and turn them into future-ready strategy.

Here’s how we approached it:

• Student Voice, Captured First-Hand
  From street-level pop-ups to in-depth interviews and group workshops, we engaged directly with students — gathering insight from across backgrounds, years, disciplines, and experiences.

• Combining Big Data + Human Stories
  We layered behavioural data with qualitative insight — exploring what students want now, and what they might expect from hybrid, connected, and community-led campuses of the future.

• Futures Consultancy Meets Experience Design
  Working alongside futures experts, we helped Bristol translate short-term expectations into long-term insight — connecting student life, digital evolution, and physical place-making.

• Insight-Driven Briefing
  Our work culminated in a strategic insight report — a foundational reference point for the University’s estates, digital and planning teams as they move forward with Tyndall Place.

What Changed

• A shared understanding of what students actually want from their campus

• A clear direction for both built environment and digital strategy

• Senior stakeholders now seeing the university through the student lens

• Stronger student engagement and alignment with institutional values

“The insight work helped bring our leadership into a new perspective — it wasn’t just about campus plans anymore, it was about what kind of experience we’re offering our students every day.”
Estates Team - University of Bristol

Why It Worked

• 👥 Co-created with students, grounded in their voice

• 🌐 Blended physical and digital perspectives into a single vision

• 🔭 Futures-informed to ensure long-term relevance

• 📈 Strategic and actionable — not just insight for insight’s sake