Cardiff City Council has just approved the third and latest phase of Cardiff University's £300 million Innovation Campus. Hawkins\Brown and HOK each designed one building for the project, which will bring together researchers, students, investors, and businesses to work on technological innovations and new enterprises that aim to drive economic growth. The project is the latest development in Cardiff University's vision of embedding innovation within the university's fabric and generating a self-sustaining cycle of economic growth for the community as a whole.
“A new campus helps us create opportunities for all," said President and Vice-Chancellor Colin Riordan. "Our innovation ambitions go beyond the sum of the physical buildings. Cutting-edge research, technology transfer, business development and student enterprise will put ideas to work."
In keeping with the goal of innovation, the new campus will house facilities such as the Institute for Compound Semiconductors, a unique UK-based research center; the Cardiff Catalysis Institute to support Cardiff's leading chemical research; SPARK, the first social science research park in the world; and the Innovation Centre, a creative base for startups. The public areas will also include recreation space, alfresco dining, and exhibition and event space, while offices and labs will be available for lease.
"In generating our design, we worked closely with Cardiff University to develop new models for the integration of industrial partnerships and collaboration," said Oliver Milton, partner at Hawkins\Brown. "This has resulted in a very clear design with interactive working spaces organized around a central oculus that connects the seven stories. Shared facilities include a TEDx-style event space and a fabrication lab."
In addition to these 12,000–square meter buildings, the development includes a bridge that joins the Innovation Campus and the Cardiff Business School. Work on the site is projected to begin in early 2017.
News via: Cardiff University
