The brand new Haydn Ellis building has been officially opened by the Welsh Government Minister for Economy, Science and Transport, Edwina Hart AM. Costing £30m to construct, the building will become Cardiff Universityís flagship research facility, home to some of their best research teams including the Universityís European Cancer Stem Cell Research Institute, Neuroscience and Mental Health Research Institute, MRC Centre for Neuropsychiatric Genetics and Genomics and National Centre for Mental Health.
Situated on Maindy Road, the building will be the central point for new research methods, it will also be a venue where all the Universityís top schools can collaborate, with their work being displayed to students, the general public and businesses alike. The Cardiff University Estates Division are hoping that this is not the only brand new building the Maindy Campus will see, as they have pledged the development of several high-quality buildings coming over the next ten to fifteen years.  The new structure allows for a larger space for greater public involvement in their work.
Vice-Chancellor, Professor Colin Riordan said: ìThe opening of the new Hadyn Ellis Building marks a new and important chapter for the University. As well as a striking landmark development, it is the gateway to the Universityís ambitious plans for the redevelopment of the whole of the Maindy Road site. The building plays host to some of the most advanced facilities and, for the first time, brings some of our best scientists together under one roof. Itís a clear indicator of our research ambition to become one of the worldís top 100 Universities.î
The building is named in honour of the late University Deputy Vice-Chancellor, Professor Hadyn Ellis. Professor Ellis pioneered the cognitive psychology of face recognition, and was also renowned for his development of the University until his death in 2006. He published leading research on prosopagnosia ├▒ the inability to recognise faces following brain injury. Named as Pro Vice-Chancellor for Research in 1994, it kick-started a period which saw the University increase its research income and jump up the national league tables, which would eventually see Cardiff to their current position of being part of the elite Russell Group of research├▒led universities. Ellis was then appointed Deputy Vice-Chancellor in 2001 where he oversaw the union with the University of Wales College of Medicine, and was awarded a CBE for his services to Higher Education in 2004.
Professor Riordan also commented: ìWe believe that it is entirely fitting that our new building should bear the name of one of the Universityís most well respected academics and highly regarded Deputy Vice-Chancellors, Professor Hadyn Ellis. A visionary, his commitment to breaking down academic barriers went way beyond his time. He was an active champion of interdisciplinary research excellence, which the Hadyn Ellis Building now fosters. He also played a leading role in the creation of the Neuroscience and Mental Health Research Institute for which the Hadyn Ellis Building now provides a modern, well-equipped home.î
Aside from the research teams the building will hold, it will also be home to Public Health Wales, which provides an expert public health resource as part of the NHS in Wales, and the Universityís Graduate College, which looks after the needs of the Universityís Postgraduate research students. On the ground floor is a state-of-the-art public area for lectures, where the theatre holds up to 150 people, as well as displays and conferences about the Universityís work. Designed by Nightingale Associates and constructed by BAM Construction, within weeks it was already recognised for its sustainability, and was awarded the Higher Education category of the Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Method Awards Wales in 2012.
Huw Ware
News Writer
Add Comment