Monday 05-11-2018 - 09:00

Work has begun on the Bristol SU Living Room which will officially open on Monday 3 December.

Bristol SU will shortly be opening a new student space within Senate House, at the heart of the University of Bristol campus. Work on the SU Living Room is due to be completed in November 2018, with the official opening day on Monday 3 December.

The pop-up Bristol SU Living Room will provide students with a space to socialise, relax between lectures, or just have somewhere to eat lunch. It is designed specifically to facilitate relaxation, community building and social activity.

Data from research undertaken both within Bristol SU and the University of Bristol indicate high levels of isolation and poor work-life balance among Bristol students. 35% of students record that the rarely or never feel relaxed and almost 1 in 4 students say that feelings of isolation and exclusion cause them stress often or all the time.

The SU Living Room is inspired by the growing movement around Public Living Rooms. Public Living Rooms have become part of a global initiative to combat isolation and encourage positive wellbeing. 

Bristol SU regularly receive feedback that it can be challenging to make new connections following welcome week, so a programme of regular activities will be put on in the living room to bring students together. We’re keen to include clubs, societies and networks in this programme to make this a vibrant social hub.

Stanford, Union Affairs Officer, said: 
"The Living Room is delivering on something students have been after for years – somewhere at the centre of the campus that’s not about teaching, learning or study, but instead a place to just ‘be’. I hope that it can help combat feelings of isolation amongst the student body, not only as a little home away from home but also a place to meet other students in an informal setting! Come grab a cuppa, read a book and have a chill.”

Spearheaded in the UK by organisations like Camerados, Public Living Rooms are intended to create a “comfortable place where anyone can come, on good days and bad, to be around people, make connections and enjoy being out of the house”. Public Living Rooms have popped up in community centres, libraries, colleges and even hospitals. We’re really excited about joining this global movement.

Introducing a Living Room model at the University of Bristol is intended to combat isolation, stress and poor wellbeing by supporting community and inclusion. This will be a space where students can support each other.

Ginny Troughton, Sports and Student Development Officer, said:
“I am so excited that this living room will be a place where everyone can go to sit and relax and forget about the pressures of uni. It will be a space where everyone feels ownership and hopefully wants to go to hang out.”

The large space will be split into different zones to ensure that it can fit multiple uses. The design team have tried to cater to all the different ways students might want to relax, including reading nooks, games corners and comfy spaces to chat among friends. The SU Officers will also have post-boxes where students can ask questions and draw attention to different things which are important to them.

Students are encouraged to come and see the space, try it out, and make it their own. This is not designed to be a common room, it is meant to be a living room.

The Bristol SU Living Room has been developed by Bristol SU, with the support of the University of Bristol, as part of the Campus Heart Programme – a range of projects that will transform your campus and university experience. You can find out more here.

The pop-up SU Living Room will be open on the 4th floor of Senate House from 8am-10pm, Monday to Friday.