Cardiff University’s Hadyn Ellis Building
Designing a world-leading research institute
PROJECT STORY
The challenge
The Hadyn Ellis building was the first phase of Cardiff University’s new Science and Innovation Campus at Maindy Road.
The solution
Our design unites the university’s cross-disciplinary minds in one holistic environment that acts as the ‘front door’ to campus.
The impact
The new Hadyn Ellis building unifies leading researchers in science, education and health inside one fully integrated discovery building.
9,000 sq m
of multi-disciplinary research space
Excellent
BREEAM score
The challenge
Cardiff University was looking to develop a new Science and Innovation Campus at Maindy Road through a phased approach, with the Hadyn Ellis building the first phase of this process. The building would be required to house four research groups with shared central facilities and adaptable lab spaces—once and for all, uniting the university’s cross-disciplinary minds in one holistic environment.
The solution
The 9,000 square meter building is the home to the institution’s world-leading University Research Institutes: the European Cancer Stem Cell and Neuroscience and Mental Health Research Institutes, as well as the established Medical Research Centre for Neuropsychiatric Genetics and Genomics. The Hadyn Ellis building is also the new home for the University Graduate College and provides office and meeting space for Public Health Wales, bringing leaders in science, education and health together within one building.
Hadyn Ellis acts as the ‘front door’ to campus, expressed through a colorful exterior representative of its surroundings and a transparent glass façade that allows outsiders to observe the bustling flow of activity taking place within the foyer and exhibition area.
Special emphasis was put on the controlled use of construction materials and colors, allowing us to create a visual identity that also acts as a natural wayfinding tool, intuitively guiding researchers to their destination. A feature concrete staircase rises through the four-story atrium, giving researchers access to first-class laboratory and office facilities. Open balconies allow visual connection between those visiting and those working within the building, and link bridges striding across the atrium provide a physical relationship between dry and wet laboratory spaces.
The design provides a range of collaborative spaces for work and play, including a comfortable atrium café, a stunning double-height exhibition gallery, and a spacious 150-seat lecture theatre.
The impact
The highly sustainable design considers the well-being of its users as well as its impact on the environment and was awarded Best Higher Education Building in Wales at the BREEAM awards. The design’s special emphasis on the controlled use of construction materials and colors allowed us to create a visual identity that also acts as a natural wayfinding tool.
The building supports ground-breaking research, including stem cell cancer research and Alzheimer’s disease, in an inclusive, multi-disciplinary environment that enables collaboration and innovation.
