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Bristol Business School, the University of the West of England, Bristol

PAREX Streetscape materials were specified for an impressive hard landscaping project at the prestigious new Bristol Business School complex at the “heart” of the Frenchay Campus of the University of the West of England (UWE).

The new world-class 17,000 m² complex stands in an area of the university known as the “Heart Zone” and has been designed as a “live” building where students, staff and visitors meet, study and stay before and after teaching sessions.

It forms the backdrop to an impressive new plaza, Frenchay Square designed by Stride Treglown who specified  Limestone and  Kellen paving blocks, which combine a man-made base with 100 per cent natural stone on the visible surface, in specially selected colours to create high visual impact for the area.

Stride Treglown specified three BS7533-compliant mortars from the Parex Streetscape portfolio for the bedding, bonding and jointing of the paved area which was laid over a previously macadamed road surface.

Specialist landscaping contractor Afan Landscapes, of Port Talbot, applied a bed of 40-50mm Parex Fine Bedding Concrete (FBC) to the existing surface prior to laying the paving units which had a slurried coating of Parex Bond Plus applied on the underside to provide a strong bond with the base. To limit the space taken up by materials on site, the Parex FBC was supplied in replenishable bulk silos, which also helped to reduce dust and provided several health & safety benefits for the operatives on site.

Once laid, the newly-paved areas were finished with Parex Granatech high strength jointing mortar which was slurry-applied, then cleaned with mechanical belt cleaners prior to final setting. Granatech in Dark Grey colour was selected to provide contrasting joints between the paving units in various shades of grey broken by vibrant yellow lines in striped designs cleverly arranged along the perimeter of the paved area in varying widths to echo the barcode used by the UWE for online purchases and assignment submissions!

In contract, Carlow Blue Limestone was used to define a central area to define external event space and create feature steps into the building’s main entrance.  All external paving materials were selected in consultation with UK-wide hard landscaping materials specialist Hardscape.

The business school project marks the beginning of a materplan for the redevelopment of the central campus at UWE. It has provided a new external area for students, staff and visitors to enjoy and socialise. The “Heart Zone” has also provided the university with facilities to cater for outdoor events in a well-designed space that links with the main student facilities.

Client :    The University of the West Of England, Bristol.

Landscape Architects: Stride Treglown, Bristol.

Specialist Landscape Contractor: Afan Landscapes, of Port Talbot, S. Wales.

Hard Landscaping Materials: Hardscape, Long Marston, Warks.

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PAREX MATERIALS USED

Bedding: Parex Fine Bedding Concrete supplied in silos and bulk bags
Bonding: Parex Bond Plus
Jointing: Parex Granatech in Dark Grey

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Images courtesy of Hardscape

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