Dorcas Casey artwork unveiled at Bristol’s landmark Welcome Building®

A major new public sculpture by Bristol-based artist Dorcas Casey has been unveiled at Welcome Building®, a 207,000 sq ft new workspace, delivered in a joint venture between EPISO 5, a fund managed by Tristan Capital Partners, and Trammell Crow Company.

Welcome Building® was designed by Darling Associates Architects to create a landmark in the city centre that would also set new standards in sustainability, wellbeing and community. Central to the vision was bringing occupiers across the building and the local business community together to interact and socialise. A unique ‘street’ on the ground floor has been created, providing a homely, hotel-style, vibrant hub, which includes a huge lobby area with a café bar, breakout seating areas, touch-down workspace and events space.

Integrating public art in the design connects the building to the city and its surrounding community. Bricks ran an open call for all South West artists to develop a public art programme for the Welcome Building® with Trammell Crow Company and Bristol City Council. Dorcas Casey’s proposal was selected by the Commissioning Group, from 40 highly ambitious designs for the site.

A stunning family of sculptures has been created by Dorcas based on a contemporary Bristol myth; the story of the crocodile sighted in the river Avon. A life-sized, awe-inspiring crocodile, crafted in community workshops, rests at the entrance with its babies. It is playful and visually captivating, an artwork that ignites the imagination and invites people in.

Andrew Clarke, Vice President, UK Office Development at Trammell Crow Company: “We have thoroughly enjoyed the process of integrating public art into Welcome Building® and are thrilled to see it come to fruition. Dorcas’ vision to recreate the famous Bristol Crocodile was inspired and engaged the local community as part of the creative process to help animate the sculptures. Now situated outside the main entrance, the sculptures of the crocodiles have injected life and humour into the building design, adding to the engagement, interaction and collaboration we have sought to embed across the scheme as a whole.”

Dorcas Casey, Artist, said: “For me this story represents Bristolian playfulness, humour and an appetite for mysteries. Having lived in The Dings for a significant proportion of my life, it feels poignant to me to make a piece of permanent sculpture for this place. I was amazed by the heartfelt contributions made by the communities who so readily got involved in creating this work. Every element, every part of the skin, even each tooth, has been handmade by local people.”

Welcome Building® is a workplace with the highest credentials. It has achieved NABERS Design for Performance Target Rating of 5 Stars and BREEAM Outstanding, and will be net zero carbon in operation. It sets new standards for occupier wellbeing as the first Bristol office development to target Well Platinum Certification, alongside Five at Heart Platinum. Offering the largest, flexible floorplates in the city, it has already been partly let to international law firm DAC Beachcroft, which will be moving its Bristol colleagues to 44,865 sq ft across levels six and seven later this year.