Cardiff University’s stated purpose appears straightforward: to create and share knowledge and to educate for the benefit of all. But this only hints at the extensive infrastructure required to meet the demands of 30,000 students and more than 6000 staff in such a complex and challenging environment.

We aim to work in partnership with our students to create an inspiring journey that prepares them for the world of work, enables them to participate fully in society and enriches their lives. This means providing the very best facilities to support our delivery of a consistently high quality student experience. Similarly, our staff rightly expect first-class infrastructure to support world-leading research and teaching.

This level of ambition has been evident since the University was first established as the University College of South Wales and Monmouthshire in the late nineteenth century. John Viriamu Jones, the son of a non-conformist minister who became the University’s first principal, pleaded with Cardiff Corporation for the University to be able to use part of the Cathays Park site. He appeared in person before the Corporation and successfully argued his case in a speech described at the time as ‘a masterpiece of eloquence’.

A dramatic new Great Court was to be built for the University that was never quite fully realised – the Great Hall to finish the Court was not built – but nobody can dispute the grandeur of what is now called Main building on Park Place. This ambition was to be a common thread throughout the history of the University.

Rapid expansion was evident in the second half of the century with the construction of the Law building and Ranch Site (now Sir Martin Evans building) during the 1960s, and the Arts and Social Studies Library and Music building in the early 1970s.

Subsequent mergers with the University of Wales Institute of Science and Technology and the University of Wales College of Medicine created a diverse estate comprising two main academic campuses – Cathays and Heath – as well as a number of residential sites throughout the city.

Indeed, expectations have increased in tandem with growth, and we are currently investing in capital development on an unprecedented scale. A leading research-intensive university must attract world-leading academics and the brightest students if it is to thrive.

While significant sums have been invested in our campus in the past few decades, Cardiff University has seen a major step-change in investment in recent years. Our campus development has accelerated to meet the University’s ambitious aim of being one of the top twenty universities in the UK and one of the top hundred in the world.

We are carrying out our biggest campus upgrade in a generation: a £600m investment over ten years.

We are developing our £300m Innovation Campus at Maindy Road, investing £40m in initiatives to promote growth in the economy and industry, and spending £260m on our teaching, learning and student experience.

We have provided cutting-edge research facilities on our Innovation campus, such as Cardiff University Brain Research Imaging Centre (CUBRIC), which was opened by HM The Queen in 2016, and the Hadyn Ellis building.

Cardiff University Brain esearch Imaging Centres (CUBRIC)

New teaching facilities have included the Cochrane building at Heath Park and the Postgraduate Teaching Centre at Cardiff Business School.

The transformation of our estate is well under way, but much more will follow, including the latest phase of the development of our Innovation campus.

We are also investing in landmark buildings to further improve the student experience, including the £50m Centre for Student Life which, will provide a hub for our student support services as well as offering modern, flexible social learning spaces and a 550- seat lecture theatre.

We are planning a new joint home for the School of Mathematics and the School of Computer Science and Informatics, as well as new student accommodation.

In addition, we are continuing to make significant improvements to existing buildings. Only with the right infrastructure in place can we meet those stated institutional aims around knowledge and education.

Sensible investment from a sound financial base will lay the foundations for the future success of the University for generations, and build on the lofty ambitions of John Viriamu Jones.

The Hadyn Ellis building

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Article taken from the book ‘AUDE: The First 25 Years’. Digital and hard copies available to buy.

Content for the book was drafted during 2016 and 2017 and was correct at the time of writing.