Her Majesty The Queen Opens Innovative CUBRIC Building
The Queen has officially opened Cardiff University Brain Research Imaging Centre (CUBRIC), one of the UK’s top Universities for neuro-imaging, psychology and psychiatry.
Accompanied by His Royal Highness The Duke of Edinburgh, Her Majesty commemorated the opening of the world-class research facility by the unveiling of a bespoke seahorse sculpture entitled ‘Penny For Your Thoughts’. This was followed by an interactive tour of the flagship building designed by local architects, IBI Group and constructed by BAM.
The CUBRIC building is a spacious, collaborative and sustainable environment, designed to inspire a specialist research community comprising some of the world’s leading experts in brain mapping, neuroscience, clinical research and genetics. These scientists will seek to provide unprecedented insights into the causes of neurological and psychiatric conditions such as dementia, schizophrenia and multiple sclerosis, as well as understanding the workings of the normal, healthy brain.
IBI Group Architect, Richard Golledge said: “I firmly believe the spaces in which we inhabit play a significant role and impact upon our physical and mental wellbeing. As a result, we set out to create an internal environment that is welcoming, bright and uplifting and that functionally, fully supports those who use it.”
The building’s welcoming interior focuses on rich materials such as wood, bold colours and geometric shapes to create a professional but relaxed space. Research facilities include Europe’s most powerful brain scanner, the Siemens 3 Tesla Connectom MRI system, a specially adapted MRI scanner of which there is only one other in the world at Harvard University in the USA.
CUBRIC is the second phase of the Science and Innovation Campus development at Cardiff University. The first phase was the Hadyn Ellis Building, also designed by IBI Group. Using a similar palette of materials, the buildings sit harmoniously side by side, and are planned to encourage researchers to connect and collaborate within each facility.
Professor Derek Jones, Director of Cardiff University Brain Research Imaging Centre, said: “This is the culmination of a huge amount of hard work by many people over several years. The combination of the very best staff in their field and some of the most powerful scanners in the world has the potential for breakthroughs that could make a real difference to people’s lives around the world.”
View the project page or for further information or interview opportunities, please contact Kevin Leonard in the Cardiff University press office at 029 2087 0997.
