A £50m landmark building planned by UWE Bristol for its Faculty of Business and Law has been given the go-ahead by South Gloucestershire Council.
The 17,200 sq m, five-storey building will house Bristol Business School and Bristol Law School and is part of UWE’s Frenchay Campus ambitious development plan to build a university for the 21st century.
It will contain state-of-the-art teaching facilities including two Harvard-style lecture theatres, a 300-seat tiered lecture theatre, two showcase mock court rooms and a trading room. 
It will be built at the heart of the new developments on the northern side of a new plaza.
Planning consent from the council means construction work can begin in December and the building will be finished in September 2016.
Bristol Business School and Bristol Law School educate future professionals in all aspects of business and law – from entrepreneurship, management, leadership, strategy through to economists, accountants, marketing and human resources. As well as offering academic law courses they also train barristers and solicitors. Alongside this, they provide research into important business and law issues that confront both businesses and society.
Innovative new courses, such as the successful Business Team Entrepreneurship degree, are already creating an exciting buzz on campus, with students responding to the challenges of creating their own businesses during their time at university.
UWE deputy vice-chancellor Professor Jane Harrington, who is also vice chair of the Association of Business Schools, said: “This wonderful new building will fulfil the aspirations of students, staff and the business community.
“The business world is changing rapidly and we need to educate the next generation of business leaders in a way that meets the needs of businesses.
“This building will enable the business community to share in the vibrant atmosphere at UWE Bristol and benefit from closer contact with students and academics.
“It will provide a first-class teaching and learning environment comprising lecture facilities, teaching and seminar rooms, specialist learning facilities such as a trading room and law courts, and staff offices.
“It will include specialist executive development facilities as well as space for collaboration, business development and informal learning space.
“Our role is to be part of the world of business, to reach out to business and enable them to reach in to us. There are huge benefits for businesses of working closely with a modern practice-based university like UWE Bristol, and this new building will create the opportunity to enable this to happen by fostering informal and formal interaction.
“Key professional organisations will have a base in the new building; and barristers, accountants, small business owners and start-ups – to name but some of our visitors – will be able to mix with staff and students in the social learning areas. Pop-up pods will provide flexible workspaces and state-of-the-art law courts will offer excellent facilities for our law students.
“Bringing businesses into the university will enable them to access a whole range of benefits from research opportunities and student placements to consultancy work. It will also be hugely beneficial for students – enabling them to have direct contact with the real world of work and helping them develop the skills they need to be attractive to employers.”
