Landmark research building wins design award
18 May 2015
A £30m flagship University research building has won a prestigious industry award for its design.
The Hadyn Ellis Building beat off stiff competition in the Design Through Innovation category at the annual RICS 2015 Awards Wales.
It will now go forward for the national RICS awards in London later in 2015.
The judges looked for evidence that the use of creativity and innovative design had enhanced the project in a variety of ways.
The judges said: "This project was conceived as a building where ground breaking research into a diverse number of medical problems, including stem cell cancer research and Alzheimer's disease, could be undertaken in an inclusive, multidisciplinary environment.
"A central atrium, with remarkable acoustic properties, provides a welcoming space between open plan offices and research laboratories, and a solution to natural ventilation in an energy hungry environment.
"The building provides a public face for the university to engage with funders, public and external bodies."
Other buildings shortlisted in the category included the University's Cardiff Business School.
The Hadyn Ellis Building, on the University's new innovation campus, houses highly advanced facilities for some of the University's world-leading research teams.
It is also home to Public Health Wales and the University's Graduate College.
The ground floor includes a public area for lectures, displays and conferences about the University's work and a 150-person lecture theatre.
The building is named in honour of the late University Deputy Vice-Chancellor, Professor Hadyn Ellis.
It has already been recognised for its sustainability and was awarded the Higher Education category of the Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Method BREEAM) Awards Wales in 2012.
The project was managed by the University's Estates team with partners including architects IBI Nightingale, Quantity Surveyors CAPITA, Civil and Structural Engineers BDP, Services Engineer AECOM and contractors BAM.