Cardiff University, in Wales, has awarded a contract worth £122.6 million (€134 million) to Bouygues UK, a subsidiary of Bouygues Construction, for the construction of its Innovation Campus.
The project, which is located in a disused railway yard, will create more than 60 jobs in construction management and technical and trades roles for the local population.
Fabienne Viala, Chairman of Bouygues UK and UK Country Manager for Bouygues Construction, said: “With our focus on shared innovation, we’re particularly passionate about this project which will turn a disused railway yard into a new space to facilitate creativity, entrepreneurialism and job creation. We have a strong track record in Wales, working with universities and regenerating brownfield sites, and we are pleased to be collaborating with Cardiff University on this unique project that is set to provide a real boost to the local area.”
Located at Maindy Park, the Cardiff Innovation Campus will incorporate two high-tech centres. One will house SPARK, the world’s first social science research park, and the Innovation Centre, a creative space for start-ups, spin-outs and partnerships, designed by Hawkins Brown Architects. The other, the Translational Research Facility (TRF), designed by HOK architects, will be home to two leading scientific research establishments: the Institute for Compound Semiconductors and the Cardiff Catalysis Institute.
Works will begin in September 2018, and handover of the Innovation Campus is scheduled for 2021.
Operating in the United Kingdom for over 20 years, Bouygues Construction has progressively grown its businesses in the sectors of construction (Bouygues UK), property development (Linkcity UK), civil works, (Bouygues Travaux Publics) and energy and services (Bouygues Energies & Services). Its construction business Bouygues UK focuses on sectors where it can add value through the technical expertise, skills and experience of Bouygues UK and the wider global Bouygues Group.
Two high-profile Bouygues UK projects include the future Proton Beam Therapy (PBT) centre in central London for rare, hard to treat cancers for UCLH, (University College London Hospitals) and the company has recently handed over the Triangle, the new headquarters of the Cambridge University Examinations Board.
