Cardiff Innovation Campus, Cardiff University

Perfect Circle was appointed to deliver phase 2 of the Cardiff Innovation Campus in 2018. Located on Maindy Road in the heart of Cardiff, the Campus is the door to innovation at Cardiff University and provides cutting-edge facilities that will help researchers and graduate students work across all disciplines and with external partners to influence policy and build enterprises that create products, spin-outs, start-ups and social enterprises. 

Cardiff University has made a £300m investment in this new Innovation Campus, promoting the University’s role as a centre of innovation, and will be an important element in the city-region’s landscape. This stage of the campus investment features two new facilities driving innovation. 

The 12,000m² Translational Research Hub, designed by global architects HOK is home to two world-leading institutes providing cutting-edge facilities that help researchers and the industry to work together. The first, Cardiff Catalysis Institute (CCI) is already established as one of the world’s top five catalysis research centres and includes a bespoke Electron Microscopy Facility providing nanomaterial imaging and is the leading UK facility in this area, whilst the first in class Institute for Compound Semiconductors (ICS) 1,400m² cleanroom, aims to position Cardiff as a leader in compound semiconductor research. 

The sbarc I spark building is the largest innovation facility of its kind in Wales, featuring 12,000m². of floor space across six storeys, with commercial units and lab spaces for spinouts and start-ups, designed by award-winning architects Hawkins\Brown it will be home to the world’s first social science research park (SPARK) which co-locates applied social science researchers with external partners to work on societal grand challenges in innovative and collaborative ways.  The building will also house an Innovation Centre that will provide serviced office, laboratory and shared workspaces for knowledge-based, innovation-led organisations, delivered on a commercial basis (c.2,900m² of lettable space) with the value proposition of:

・   High quality modern offices / laboratory space with access to amenities including catering and social facilities  

・   Co-location with Cardiff University – proximity to researchers and other collaborators at a prestigious address

・    Access at competitive rates to university services and facilities such as Central Biotechnology Services and the additive manufacturing labs. 

Gleeds joined the project when the ground remediation works had already commenced. The Main Contract included a provisional sum for a cleanroom. Early on it was identified that the initial design was not satisfactory and key dates would be missed. Works had commenced on the steel structure of the cleanroom and a tough decision was made to stop works on site for this element of the work only whilst a more robust brief and scheme design that met the End Users expectations was developed. Gleeds initial approach was to provide an instruction for a works quotation for a new clean room design based on the RIBA stages. Gleeds subsequently instructed these design works which included a detailed programme of end user engagement and sign-off that was collaboratively developed so as to minimise time impact of these works being on stop. This solution was central to achieving the University’s aspirations of a world class research facility. 

Additionally with a change in law in Wales brought about by the pandemic, Gleeds worked with the Main Contractor to manage changes to the site facilities and logistics, accommodating social distancing laws, as well as working to adjust delivery timelines and to the prices and  budgets.