Your say / BDP architects
‘Five key challenges facing Bristol – and how might we address them?’
As Bristol approaches 2025, the multidisiplinary design practice, BDP has identified five key challenges facing Bristol and the wider region and looks at how we might address them.
Inclusive growth: How do we build enough affordable homes?
The housing affordability crisis is, of course, one of the biggest challenges facing the city with over 21,000 households on the social housing waiting list. It is crucial we provide more affordable housing, and it must be of the highest quality to support the inclusive growth of our city.
is needed now More than ever
Rising costs, labour shortages, land availability and big changes to regulation are not making it easy; but we need to think innovatively to find ways of navigating these challenges. We are in the final stages of construction for the Gap House, where a council-owned disused garage plot in Bristol is being turned into affordable housing – and the opportunity for this concept to be replicated elsewhere is significant.
“Gap House” concept, which was devised and championed by BDP, is tipped to be a key component in the long-term strategy to address the housing crisis in Bristol – photo: BDP
Bristol Housing Festival points to unlocking “unlikely land” on small, brownfield sites in public sector ownership to help release a new wave of social housing as part of its ecosystem solution in its MMC Playbook. Innovative ideas and practical solutions are key to solving this issue.
Mobility: How do we ensure people can move around efficiently?
In our The Good City initiative, which aims to address some of the most pressing urban challenges, we highlight the need for investment in both reliable mass transit systems and “last mile” micro-mobility – in other words, infrastructure to support sustainable travel whether by bike, scooter or foot in order to provide an efficient and cost-effective alternative to the car. Bristol is no different.
Local authorities are set to be given greater powers under the government’s Better Buses bill, due to be tabled in early 2025. Let’s hope this supports progress.
Meanwhile, the new chair of the city’s transport committee has a vision to “deliver some ambitious projects particularly around the city centre, to put in a lot more bus priority and cycle infrastructure”.
This is, of course, welcome, but we must think laterally. As an example, in Coventry, the Very Light Rail (VLR) could be a cheaper and faster-to-build alternative to traditional trams. It’s hit a funding hurdle, but the path to innovation is never without its challenges. Imaginative new ideas can lead to positive and transformative change.
An artist’s impression of Welcome Building which is due to be completed next year – photo: Bricks Bristol
Climate resilience: How do we meet our carbon-zero goals?
Bristol has pledged to become carbon neutral and climate resilient by 2030. With the built environment accounting for around 40 per cent of global carbon emissions, as an industry, we must take responsibility for ensuring buildings, new and old, are climate-resilient, low carbon and sustainable.
The government’s Future Homes Standard (FHS) to ensure new homes produce fewer carbon emissions and are more energy efficient is just around the corner, which is good news. In Bristol, there is concern that when Bristol’s Welcome Building is complete next year, the city will have no more new build offices in the pipeline.
There are, however, many redundant spaces – particularly in outlying business parks – poised for repurposing and revitalisation. We must think creatively and thoughtfully about how we do this at every opportunity.
Sci-Tech: How do we compete on the national stage?
Isambard-AI at Emerson Green is the home a national supercomputer research facility spearheading AI innovation in Bristol – photo: National Composites Centre
Centre for Cities highlighted Bristol as the strongest economic performer of all of the UK’s large cities in a report earlier this year. One high-skilled sector that has performed particularly well in Bristol is digital, science, and tech – a sector that has grown to constitute 13.4 per cent of all jobs in the city.
Bristol is well positioned to capitalise on this momentum with its two leading universities and associated skill sets. Both are close to key transport links and next to land that is either being developed or “developable” with the potential to become lab space to support the sector.
We must provide businesses and developers with what they need to flourish and propel the city forward to compete with the likes of London, Cambridge and Oxford’s tech hubs.
Social impact: How do we guarantee positive outcomes?
We need a better way of ensuring that cities are designed with impact on the community at the forefront of consideration. We have BREEAM and Passivhaus accreditation to measure sustainability and energy efficiency; however, the social impact that projects deliver is equally important.
Interior of University of Bristol’s Bristol Dental School which made a move from a traditional hospital-based training model to a primary care provider – photo: Nick Smith Photography
A year ago, Bristol Dental School opened its new facility at 1 Trinity Quay, Avon Street, marking a move from a traditional hospital-based training model to a primary care provider directly operated by the University of Bristol.
This means the school now contributes significantly to the city as a whole. Over the year, students have delivered 18,000 free-of-charge patient appointments to members of the public across the city.
In their urgent dental care unit, students have treated over 1,600 patients referred through NHS 111 who were in dental pain and without access to an NHS dentist. They have recruited over 400 child patients through local primary schools in the vicinity of the Dental School; many of these children have never seen a dentist.
Incredible statistics that show how transformational a project like this can be.
This is an opinion piece by Akshay Khera, principal and head of the Bristol studio of multidisiplinary design practice BDP.
Main photo: BDP
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