sbarc|spark, Cardiff University

The world’s first social science research park

Bringing academics and entrepreneurs together in a spirit of innovation, enterprise, and collaboration.

Spark’s design plays a vital role in supporting the university’s mission to promote extraordinary thinking. It’s why we created the ‘oculus’ – a sculptural staircase that forms the heart of the building. At ground floor level, it provides a lovely welcome, with banks of seating either side forming a social staircase that doubles as an auditorium for events.

As it rises through the levels it delivers spacious break out zones on the landings with various fit-out furniture types providing users with a host of options for study and social interaction.

With the various incubator and business units on the upper floors, enclosed workplace units are provided along with less defined workstations in what normally be circulation space. This is where the balance between workstation and interaction exists.

The thoughtful combination of furniture fit-outs, daylight and clarity of material finishes provide a fine backdrop for innovation and collaboration. The building also offers a generosity for the occupants – not only in its ceiling heights but also in spatial quality, with large amounts of natural light complemented by well-placed artificial lighting.

A ground floor event space, The Play Box, encourages research and industry partnerships between users of the building and is fully accessible to visitors. There is also a café with large sharing tables, drawing together commercial tenants and academic researchers alongside the public and the wider university faculty.