Bristol opens £4.1million extension

A £4.1million extension to Canynge Hall, the home of the University of Bristol's world-class, 6-star-rated Department of Social Medicine, on Whiteladies Road was opened on 1 September.

The extension is a major addition to the Department and includes clinical examination rooms, teaching rooms, a lecture theatre and office space for about 60 staff. This additional space is required to meet the Department's expanding research programmes.

Professor Jenny Donovan, Head of the Department of Social Medicine said: "We are absolutely delighted with the new extension to Canynge Hall, funded by the University of Bristol and the Wolfson Foundation. The extension will greatly enhance our research and teaching capacities by providing state-of-the-art teaching facilities and high quality meeting and office accommodation.

"The extension is to be opened by Professor Stephen Frankel, Head of Department 1992-2004, and Mr Ray Bartlett, Senior Porter, in a simple ceremony followed by the inaugural annual Stephen Frankel Lecture, delivered by Professor Ezra Susser of Columbia University, New York."

The £4.1million project was initiated early in 2005 and commenced on site in November 2006. The extension was designed by NVB Architects and built by the construction company Leadbitter.

The building has been carefully designed to facilitate energy conservation by the use of natural ventilation, the thermal mass of the structure and the maximum use of natural light.